GEnie
General Electric Network
User’s Guide
User’s Guide
December 1985
Revised April 1986
Copyright © 1985, 1986 by General Electric Company, U.S.A.
This document is produced by General Electric Company, U.S.A.,
which is not connected with The General Electric Company p.I.c.
of England.
This document is intended to present a clear and comprehensive
guide to facilitate the use of GEnie™. General Electric Company,
U.S.A., however, makes no representation or warranty, express,
implied, or statutory, with respect to, and assumes no responsibility
for the accuracy, completeness, sufficiency or usefulness of the
information contained herein.
@ and GENERAL ® ELECTRIC are Registered Trade and Service
Marks of General Electric Company, U.S.A.
INFORMATION
SERVICES
General Electric Information Services Company
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnie . . 1-1
Greetings . 1-1
What Do You Need?... . 1-2
When is GEnie Available . 1-2
How Much Does It Cost... . 1-2
Joining GEnie. . ....1-3
Communication Settings . ...1-4
Connecting to GEnie.... . 1-5
GEnie 1 s Top Menu . . . 1-5
Selecting Menu Items . . 1-7
Menu Commands . 1-8
Changing and Checking Things . 1-13
A Sign On Short Cut . .....1-14
Getting Help . 1-15
Billing Inquiries . 1-16
Now What? . 1-16
Section 2. GE MAIL . 2-1
What is GE Mail . 2-1
Checking Your Mail - Automatically . 2-2
The GE Mail Menu . . . 2-2
Checking Your Mail . 2-3
Reading Your Mail . . . 2-4
Sending a Letter . 2-6
GE Mail Editor Commands . . . 2-7
Uploading a Letter . 2-14
Searching for Addresses . 2-14
GE Mail Command Mode . 2-15
Send FEEDBACK to GEnie Editor... . 2-20
What About Stamps . 2-21
Section 3. NEWS AND REFERENCE. . . 3-1
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 4. THE GEnie LIVEWIRE CB SIMULATOR . 4-1
Welcome to LiveWire . 4-1
The LiveWire Menu . 4-1
Getting on LiveWire® . . * . 4-3
Choosing a Handle . . . .4-3
Choosing a Channel..... . .4-4
What Now? . . 4-4
CB Commands . . . .4-6
GEnie LiveWire Bantering Board . ....4-13
Section 5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING.... . 5-1
What is RTC? . 5-1
Getting On . 5-2
Joining a Meeting . . . 5-2
Choosing the Room . . . 5-3
Attendee Commands . . . 5-4
Meeting Leader Commands . . . 5-13
Conducting a Meeting . 5-19
Section 6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS . 6-1
Nights with the RoundTables . . . 6-1
Joining a RoundTable . . . 6-2
What * s Available . 6-3
RoundTable Bulletin Board . 6-4
The Bulletin Board Prompt . 6-5
Bulletin Board Commands . . . 6-6
Using the Commands . 6-14
Checking Categories . 6-15
Checking Status of New Items . 6-16
Browsing New Items . ....6-16
Entering a Message... . ..6-19
Entering a Topic . . 6-20
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Real Time Conference . 6-21
Software Libraries . 6-21
Directory of Files . 6-24
Search the File Directory . 6-25
Browse Through Files . 6-26
Uploading a File® . ....6-28
Downloading a File . ........6-30
Deleting a File You Own . .,6-32
Old Club Bulletins . 6-32
Section?. SHOP N* SWAP SHOPPING SERVICES . 7-1
Section 8. GENie GAME ROOM . 8-1
Games RoundTable . 8-1
Index .
IV
GREETINGS
Welcome to GEnie, The General Electric Network for
Information Exchange.
GEnie offers you a variety of choices in entertainment,
information and software exchange, communications,
shopping - all from your computer. By using simple
menus and/or a few easy commands, you can talk to a
friend across the country one minute; go on an
electronic shopping trip the next; try your hand at a
few games; and finish up by attending an electronic
meeting with software developers to discuss new programs
for your computer.
This section of the guide gives you the general
information you will need to use the many fun and useful
services offered by GEnie.
1-1
Section 1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnie
t m
WHAT DO YOU NEED?
In order to work with GEnie , you don * t need a magic lamp
or bottle. However, you will need a computer, an
asynchronous modem (either 300 or 1200 baud), one of the
many available communication software packages - and of
course a telephone.
You also need a telephone access number and your GEnie
user identification number (also called a user id) and
password. At this point, you should already have these
(if you don’t, see "Joining GEnie" later in this
section). Your GEnie user id is a combination of three
letters followed by 5 numbers, such as ASD42964. Your
password is a combination of up to eight letters. Your
id and password are like keys to your house. Protect
them.
WHEN IS GEnie AVAILABLE?
GEnie is available 24 hours a day. However, the least
expensive time to use GEnie is from 6 p.m. until 8 a.m.
local time plus all day on weekends and national
holidays (this is called Non-Prime Time). The cost is
higher for Prime Time (8 a.m to 6 p.m.).
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
The GEnie system keeps information on the computer that
tells you the most current cost for the service . You
can also check your bill on both a daily and monthly
summary basis . To view this information, select the
’’User Setting and Accounts Information" item from the
Top Menu (discussed later in this section) .
1-2
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
JOINING GEnie
If you are reading this guide * chances are you have
already signed up to belong to GEnie. However, just in
case you "borrowed" this book from a friend or are
glancing over another user's shoulder, this is what you
have to do to join.
First, have your computer dial the nearest GEnie access
number. Then, at the "U#=" prompt, enter:
XJM11999, GENIE
At this point, you can electronically browse through
some of the GEnie menus and, if you want, sign up. If
you wish to join, you should have your VISA or
MasterCard handy (or you can have the initial
subscription fee electronically transferred from your
checking account) .
Next you will have to answer a few questions (name ,
address . . . stuff like that ) and electronically agree to
the terms of the service agreement .
The very next business day, a GE representative will
call you with your new GEnie user id and password which
will allow you to use the GEnie system. Shortly
thereafter, you will receive a copy of this user's guide
and some other useful information.
Now let ' s see how to get onto the GEnie system.
1-3
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnie* m
COMMUNICATION SETTINGS
First, you have to make sure you have the proper
communication settings.
For a personal computer, they are 300 or 1200 baud, 8
bits, 1 stop bit and no parity. If you are using a
terminal, you may also use 300 or 1200 baud, 7 bits, 1
stop bit and even parity. Other settings may be
possible; consult your specific owner* s manual or call
GEnie Customer Assistance (800-638-9636 Ext. 21) if you
need help.
Local Echo Mode
GEnie works best and expects your terminal to be in
local mode (sometimes called Half Duplex). If the
characters that you type do not appear on your screen,
your terminal is probably not set to local echo. Some
terminals require that the Duplex switch be set to Half
Duplex to enable local echo.
Host Echo Mode
If your terminal does not support local echo or if you
prefer to use Host Echo, you must type a CONTROL R (AR)
between the "U #=" prompt and your User ID and password.
Your GEnie session will then be in Host Echo (see the
log on example on the next page ) .
1-4
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnie
t m
CONNECTING TO GEnie
Dial your local access number, and when communication is
established (indicated by either a light on your modem,
or the "CONNECT" prompt on your screen) enter "HHH" and
press the Return key. Next you will see the "U#="
prompt. At his point enter your user id and password
separated by a comma and press the Return key, like
this :
U#=ADC81205, LOCKET
To tell GEnie to use Host Echo, enter a CONTROL R (AR)
at the "U#=" prompt before your user id and password and
press the Return key , like this :
U#= ( A R ) ADC8 1 20 5 , XXXXXX
Note that in HOST ECHO mode, your password will not be
displayed .
A Sign On Short Cut
Once you are more familiar with GEnie, there are two
short cuts you can use when you sign on. If you know
the menu page you want to go to, you can designate that
page when you enter your GEnie id and password. You
enter it after the password, separated by a comma. For
example, if you wanted to go to the LiveWire menu (page
400) , you would type:
abcl4633 ,nanoonan,400
In the example, "abcl4633" is your user id, "nanoonan1
is your password and "400" is the page number.
1-5
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
You can even make a further selection by adding a
semicolon and the item number you want, after the page
number. For example:
abc!4633 , nanoonan , 400 ; 4
This would take you to item 4 on page 400 (in this case,
that would sign you on to the LiveWire CB Simulator).
In the above example, you could sign on and check your
mail by entering:
abcl4633 , nanoonan, 200 ; 2
This would sign you on the the "GE Mail and GEnie
Editor Ss Desk” menu (page 200), item 2 (Read Your Mail).
GEnie's TOP MENU
The heart of GEnie, so to speak, is the Top Menu (a
sample is shown on the next page). Once you sign on to
the system, you will see messages from GEnie concerning
special events, new products, and changes in the system.
Next, GEnie checks to see if you have any mail (for more
information on this, see the section on GE Mail later in
this guide). Then the Top Menu is displayed, similar to
the the one on the following page. GEnie will be adding
new services and products to the system, so your menu
may not look exactly like the example. However, it will
give you an idea.
Every menu in GEnie is set up the same way. In the
upper right corner is the page number (every menu has
its own unique page number). In the example, the page
is "1".
1-6
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnie
t m
Centered at the top of the menu is a mnemonic (a key word)
which can be used to move about from menu to menu (this is
described later in this section). In this case, it is
"TOP" . Each item on the menu has its own number which can
be used in choosing a selection. At the bottom, is the
prompt to enter your menu choice. The following is an
example of the log on information and main menu:
** Thank you for choosing GEnie **
The Consumer Information Service
from General Electric
Copyright (C), 1986
GEnie Logon at: 21:41 EST on: 861106
Last Access at: 18:39 EST on: 861109
* NEW: X-10 Powerhouse RoundTable *
Type "XTEN" to access.
No letters waiting.
GEnie TOP Page 1
General Electric Information Services
1. What's New on GEnie
2. GE Mail and GEnie Editor's Desk
3. News and References
4. GEnie LiveWire CB Simulator
5. National Real-Time Conference
6. RoundTables: User Groups & Clubs
7. Shop N' Swap Shopping Services
8. Travel Services
9. GEnie Game Room
10. User Settings & Information
11. Logoff
Enter #, <P>revious, or <H>elp?
1-7
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
SELECTING MENU ITEMS
You select an item from the menu by entering the item
number followed by pressing the Return key (or Enter
depending on your computer). Each item on this menu is a
top-level item which, when selected, will present
additional items. The items on this menu are:
1. What’s New on GEnie - This leads to a menu where
you can get information about new commands, added
products and services, and system changes. There is
also a schedule of events. You should check here
periodically .
2. GE Mail1 m and GEnie Editor’s Desk - This menu
will lead you to the area to send and receive mail
(both electronic and paper). You may also send
Feedback to the GEnie Editor to request changes,
comment on the service, or whatever.
3. News and References - Here is electronic news and
information about computers, software and other topics
(such as book and movie reviews). This is also where
you will find Grolier’s electronic encyclopedia.
4. GEnie LiveWriretm CB Simulator - This menu will
lead you into the wonderful world of CB. Here you can
chat with friends you meet through GEnie.
5. National Real Time Conference - This is similar to
the LiveWire CB, except it is structured more for a
meeting environment. A meeting leader is chosen to
lead discussions. Guest speakers may be scheduled and
question and answer periods arranged.
GEnie, GE Mail, RoundTable , and LiveWire are Registered
Trade Marks of General Electric Company, U.S.A.
1-8
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnie
t m
6. RoundTablestm : User Groups and Clubs - New clubs
are forming weekly. The groups offer games, software,
technical advice, discussions, and interaction with
groups of people who share your interests. Check out
this area, and perhaps you can find a club with
interests similar to yours.
7. Shop & Swap Shopping Services - This is the place
to electronically buy and sell items. The area offers
the GEnie Classifieds Ads, GEnie Product Ordering, as
well as other shopping opportunities. More electronic
shopping areas will be coming soon.
8. GEnie Game Room - Here is a mix of old classics
(such as Adventure) and new games (like the multi¬
player Stellar Warrior) to test your mind and skills.
Plus, you can discuss the latest strategies or get
advice in the Games RoundTable.
9. Travel Services - This section lets you get travel
information and make your plans and reservations while
never leaving your terminal. Information about
flights, hotels, car rentals, weather... you name
it... is at your fingertips.
10. User Settings &: Information - From this selection,
you can view and change information relating to your
terminal and billing. Here, you will also find an
on-line version of this manual, access phone numbers
and other information.
11. Logoff - This is used to exit the system and
terminate the telephone connection. You can also say
"BYE" at most prompts.
1-9
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnie
t m
MENU COMMANDS
While visiting GEnie, you can use a series of commands
which make doing things a little easier and faster.
These commands are entered at the following prompt:
Enter #, <P>revious, or <H>elp?
and most can be abbreviated to one letter and can be
either upper or lower case. The following menu commands
are listed alphabetically:
Bye This will log you off the system. It
cannot be abbreviated.
Command Using this command allows you to move
about and select items without having to
look at menus and messages. However, it
is not for first time users because you
won’t see any menus or information. For
example, if you typed C at the Top menu,
you would get the following prompt:
P 1?
That means you are on page 1, which is the
Top Menu. If you want to move to CB
LiveWire, you would type M 400 at the
prompt (that is the command for move to
page 400). You would then see the prompt:
P 400?
If you wanted to enter LiveWire, you would
type 4 to select item 4, just as if you
were viewing the menu (except in the
Command Mode, you do not see the menu).
1-10
Command (cont)
Feedback
Help
Index
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
You can use any of the menu commands when
in the command mode. To leave, you type
"C" and the GEnie system displays the
menu for your current location.
This command is used if you want to send
questions or comments to the GEnie
Editor’s desk. There are on-line
instructions for its use and you will be
prompted for the appropriate information
(see the GE Mail section later in the
guide for more information on sending
Feedback) .
H or Help at any prompt within the system
will display the appropriate on-line help
information .
This displays a list of System Mnemonics
and page numbers (shown on the next
page). Mnemonics are key words which can
be used to move from menu to menu or item
to item.
For example, the mnemonic for moving to
the menu for GE Mail is ’’MAIL”. Each
menu has the mnemonic centered at the
top of the page. If you look at the
sample of the Top Menu, you will see the
mnemonic for that page is ’’TOP”.
Although the items and menus will be
changing as new services are added, the
list on the next page gives you an idea
of the mnemonics available.
1-11
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
Index (cont)
Page Mnemonic Description
001
TOP
100
NEW
200
MAIL
210
GRAM
300
NEWS
310
BOWEN
320
CAA
330
CINEMAN
340
CTODAY
350
HOTLINE
360
GUTMAN
365
GROLIERS
380
FOOTBALL
400
CB
420
LWB
445
ARTPRO
450
MACH2
455
A+
460
SPACE
470
SFRT
475
ST
480
MACPRO
485
DBF
490
MICHTRON
495
XTEN
500
RTC
525
EHRT
535
WIN
545
NPC
555
AMIGA
575
TI
585
FREESOFT
GEnie Top-Level Menu
What's new on GEnie
GE Mail
GEnie Quik-Gram
News and Commentary
A Networker's Journal
Computing Across America
CINEMAN Entertainment
Computing Today |
Hollywood Hotline
Computers & Technology
Grolier's Encyclopedia
Football Forecaster
LiveWire CB Simulator
LiveWire "Bantering" BB
Art of Programming RT
MACH2 RT
A+ Magazine RoundTable
Spaceport RoundTable
SF&F SF S ic Fantasy RT
Atari-ST RoundTable
Mac Developers RT
Data Based Forum RT
MichTron RoundTable
X-10 Powerhouse RT
National RT Conference
Electronic Hobbyist RT
Microsoft Windows Dev RT
NonProfit Connection RT
Amiga RoundTable
TI RoundTable
FreeSoft RT
600 ROUNDTABLE GEnie Roundtables
1-12
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
605 MAC
610 BBS
615 IBM
620 TC
625 CBM
Macintosh RoundTable
BBS RoundTable
IBM RoundTable
TC RoundTable
Commodore RoundTable
630 SOFTRONICS Sof ironies RoundTable
635 TANDY
640 PROTREE
645 APPLE
650 SCUBA
655 LAPTOPS
660 PHOTO
665 ATARI
680 QMODEM
685 CPM
690 AUG
700 SHOP
720 EXPRESS
730 ORDER
740 ADS
750 TRAVEL
760 SABRE
800 GAMES
805 SCORPIA
820 DRAGON
822 CASTLE
824 A550
826 SAGETH
828 ADVENTURE
830 WUMPUS
834 RWW
850 EMPEROR
887 WARRIOR
900 SET
905 SETUP
910 MANUAL
920 BILL
Tandy RoundTable
PROTREE RoundTable
Apple ] [ RoundTable
Scuba RoundTable
Laptops RoundTable
Photography RoundTable
Atari RoundTable
QMODEM RoundTable
CP/M RoundTable
AUG - Apple User Group RT
Shopping Services
Computer Express
GEnie Products
GEnie Classified Ads
Travel Services
EAASY SABRE
Game Room
Games RoundTable
Black Dragon
Castle Quest
Adventure 550
Dor Sageth
Original Adventure
Hunt the Wumpus
Rim World Wars
Stellar-Emperor
Stellar-Warrior
User Settings
GEnie setup script
GEnie GE Online Manual
Billing Information
1-13
Locate mmm
Move xxx
Move xxx;y
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
This displays the location of a specific
user with the GE Mail address "mmm" if
they are on-line. For example, if you
typed ’’Locate Lucky” you would see a
message like:
[LUCKY] is at Page 200 (MAIL), GE Mail.
Every menu in the GEnie system has a
page number. To move from one page to
another, use this command with the
appropriate page number. For example,
to move to page 400 (which is the GE
LiveWire menu), you would type:
M 400
This command allows you to further
detail the location you want to move to
within a menu. If you wanted to move to
page 400, item 4 ("Enter the GENie
LiveWire CB”), you would type:
M 400 ;4
The move command can be modified by
adding ”S” at the end of the page number
or item number. This tells the system
to scroll through the text without
prompting (otherwise, the display would
pause each time the screen was full and
you would have to tell it to proceed).
For example:
M 310 ; 2S
1-14
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
Notify mm
Notify *
NONotify
nn This sends a notice, "nn,M to the GEnie
user "mm." The notice will be queued up
and displayed at the next menu prompt fo:
user "mm." If the user being notified it
on CB Simulator, one of the Real-Time
Conferences, or in Stellar Warrior, then
the sender will get a note to that
effect. A typical notice might say:
N SMITTY Let's meet on the
Real Time Conference Rm 6.
When a notice has been received, the
sender will get automatic confirmation
that the notice was delivered. You may
not send a notice to someone who is not
on-line. You should use GE Mail for tha
purpose. Lastly, there is a special fori
of the Notice command:
This displays any incoming notices you
have pending. If you have no notices,
the command does nothing. This saves yoi
from re-painting the menu to see if you
have notices.
This command is for those who don't like
the Notify command, or don't want to
receive notices. The command toggles on
and off.
1-15
Port
Previous
Read
Send
Time
Users
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
You may be asked for the port number by
GEnie Customer Assistance if you
experience communications problems. To
display the port number, use this
command. However, if abbreviated, it must
be abbreviated to two letters (PO) or it
will be mistaken for Previous.
If you want to move to the page before the
one you are on, all you have to do is type
P or Previous.
In the GE Mail menu, there is an item you
can select to read your mail. However,
the Read command allows you to read your
new mail (see section on GE Mail for more
information) while at any menu prompt.
In the GE Mail menu, there is an item you
can select to send mail. However, the
Send command allows you to send your mail
(see section on GE Mail for more
information) while at any menu prompt.
This command gives you the current date
and time as well as your time on-line.
This displays the GE Mail address of all
users currently on GEnie. It has several
forms (as shown on the next page).
1-16
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
Users (cont) Users - displays the mail addresses of the
on-line users "near you”. For example, if
you are in a RoundTable, it displays the
mail addresses of everyone currently
on-line in that RoundTable.
Users ALL - displays the GE Mail address
of all GEnie members that are currently
signed on.
Users PPP - displays the GE Mail address
of all on-line members, using the product
with the mnemonic PPP. For example "Users
MAIL" will show the addresses of on-line
members using GE Mail.
PAUSING TEXT
Sometimes on GEnie, you may want to stop text as it
scrolls on the screen. To stop the text as it scrolls
by, you can press CONTROL S. To start the text again,
press CONTROL Q.
CHANGING AND CHECKING THINGS
GEnie makes it easy for you to check and change your
password or terminal settings, change your address and
billing information, look at the system schedule, locate
access phone numbers, etc. All you have to do is select
the "User Settings and Information" setting from the Top
Menu (you can also type the mnemonic "SET" at any
prompt) .
1-17
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnie
t m
You will be shown a menu similar to this:
GEnie SET Page 900
User Settings & Account Information
1. GEnie Online Manual
2. Rates & Billing Information
3. Terminal Settings
4. Phone Access List
5. Change Password
6. View/Change Handle
7. View/Change NickName
Select the item you want, and you will be prompted for
the appropriate information.
If you want to change your terminal settings, you have
two options. Under the ’’Terminal Settings” option, you
can select ’’Terminal Settings,” which is a cut and dry
way to change your terminal parameters... or you can
choose the ’’GEnie Setup Script,” which will walk you
through and explain how to change the various settings.
GETTING HELP
GEnie offers you a wide range of ways to get help. The
following give you brief descriptions. However, most of
the methods are described in more detail later in the
book:
On-Line Getting assistance from GEnie is as easy
as electronically yelling ’’Help”. At
almost any prompt on the menu system, you
can type ’’HELP” and get information
relevant to the menu or item you are in.
1-18
RoundTables
CB
Feedback
Real People
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
Also, many of the services (such as
LiveWire CB Simulator), will give you
useful information if you enter the "HELP"
command .
Another source of help on the GEnie system
is from other users. The GEnie
RoundTables (described in more detail
later in this guide) are groups of people
with common interests and a willingness to
share their knowledge. The RoundTables
are a great source of problem solving tips
and other useful information (even
software ) .
The LiveWire CB Simulator is also a good
area to get help. LiveWire gives you the
chance to talk ’’live" with other users to
discuss problems and issues. Many of the
CBers are more than glad to share their
experience and knowledge.
From the "GE Mail and GEnie Editor’s Desk"
menu, you can send a letter to the GEnie
staff and request an answer to a question
or problem. Usually, within a few days,
you will receive a GE Mail letter
answering your question. You can also
send Feedback by typing "Feedback" at any
prompt. This will put you in the Feedback
mode .
Some problems (like being unable to sign
on), may require more immediate
attention. In such cases, you can call
GEnie Customer Assistance for help. Their
number is: 800-638-9636 Ext. 21.
1-19
1. INTRODUCTION TO GEnietm
BILLING INQUIRIES
If you just want to change your address or billing data,
you can do this from the "Rates and Billing Information”
item from the "User Setting and Information” menu.
However, questions or problems with your billing should
be sent to GEnie through the Feedback option in the GE
Mail menu. Your question or problem will be researched,
and a response sent to you, also via GE Mail.
NOW WHAT?
So much for the introduction. Now it is up to you and
the GEnie system. The rest of the book describes some
of the options available to you. Also, in the back of
this guide there is an appendix with telephone access
numbers that will let you connect with GEnie from
hundreds of cities throughout the United States.
So again, WELCOME TO GEnie
and have fun.
WHAT IS GE MAIL
GE Mail is an "electronic mail" system which lets you
send and receive letters using the speed and convenience
of your computer. You can send letters, notes,
information, or any text you want to anyone you choose
within the GEnie system... no matter where they are in
the United States or the time of day.
When you first started using GEnie, you were assigned a
GE Mail address. Every user on GEnie was also assigned
an address . With these addresses and the easy GE Mail
menu system, sending and receiving letters is fast and
easy.
2-1
Section 2. GE MAIL
t m
CHECKING YOUR MAIL - AUTOMATICALLY
When you first sign on, GEnie will automatically check
to see if you have any mail waiting. You will see the
message :
Checking Mail..
If there is mail, you will see the message:
You have 4 letters waiting.
THE GE MAIL MENU
To get to the GE Mail menu, select the ”GE Mail and GEnie
Editor’s Desk” item from the Top Menu. You can also get
there by typing ’’MAIL” at any prompt while on GEnie.
Here is an example of the GE Mail menu:
GEnie MAIL Page 200
GE MAIL & GEnie Editor’s Desk
1. Check Your Mail
2. Read Your Mail
3. Send a Letter
4. Upload a Letter
5. Search Addresses
6. GE Mail Command Mode
7. Send FEEDBACK to GEnie Editor
2-2
2. GE MAIL 1 m
Cheeking Y our Mail
You can can manually check your mail, even though GEnie
does it automatically at the beginning of a session. If
you select the item "Check Your Mail" from the GE Mail
menu, your mail will be checked. If you have mail, you
will be shown a brief description (called a queue list)
of what is in your mailbox.
For example, if EVANS had three letters waiting for her,
the queue list might look like this:
Queue#
I tern
From
To
Sent
Subject
1
0116099
STU
EVANS
85/11/06
New Software
2
0067543
WINSTON
WATTS
85/11/07
It's a boy!
3
0154356
LJM
EVANS
85/11/07
??s for John
EVANS received the letter addressed to WATTS because the
sender wanted a "carbon copy" sent to her.
There are six columns of information in the queue list.
They are :
Queue# This shows the order in which letters
were received.
2-3
2. GE MAIL
t m
Item This is a 7-digit number assigned to
each letter. It is used with some of
the more advanced GE Mail commands
(see "GE Mail Command Mode") to
reference previous letters.
prom This column is the GE Mail address of
the person who sent you the letter.
j0 This shows the GE Mail address of the
person the letter is sent to.
Sent This is the year, month, and day the
letter was sent.
Subject This shows the title or subject of
the letter. This is entered by the
sender .
Reading Your Mail
The GE Mail menu makes reading your mail fast and easy.
All you need to do is select the item "Read Your Mail .
Then, GE Mail will list your letters on your screen or
at your printer.
2-4
2. GE MAILtm
If you want to stop the text as it scrolls by, you can
press CONTROL S. To start the text again, you need to
press CONTROL Q.
A typical letter will look like this:
Item
0022020 85/11/26
09:16
From:
TK
Tom Kirk
To:
ROBERTSON
Henry Robertson
Sub:
Notice of Meeting
This is just a reminder that there will be a
meeting of the Apple User’s Group on 11/30 at
11:00 in RTC room 35. A copy of the Agenda will
follow.
=END=
Once a letter is read, it is removed from the queue
list. The letter is then moved to a "holding file" for
five days in case you need to look at it again in that
time. The commands to look at letters in the holding
file are described in "GE Mail Command Mode" later in
this section.
There is also a short cut method to read your mail while
anywhere on GEnie. Simply type "READ" at any GEnie
prompt, and you will be shown your mail (if you have
any) .
2-5
2. GE MAIL
t m
Sending a Letter
There are several ways to send a GE Mail letter. One
way is to use the item "Send a Letter" from the GE Mail
menu. You could also use the item "GE Mail Command
Mode", but that will be discussed later in this section.
When you select "Send a Letter", you will get an on-line
help message. Next, you will be prompted for.
To: The GE Mail address of the person you
want the letter sent to.
Carbon Copy: The GE Mail address of anyone you
want to send a copy of the letter to.
Sub: The subject line of the letter
(maximum, 30 characters).
You can send a letter to more than one person by
entering the addresses after the "To:" prompt and
separating them with commas. For example.
To: TJB, Robert T. ,JohnBoy, LESTER
would send mail to those 4 addresses. You can also send
copies to multiple addresses the same way at the "Carbon
Copy:" prompt.
2-6
2. GE MAILtm
After you enter the information, you will see the
message "Enter letter text" and a prompt for the first
line of your letter. The following is an examples
To: Robert L.
Carbon Copy: TomTom
Sub: Vacation
Enter letter text :
1> I hear you may be up my way next month. I just
2> wanted to say that you can stay here if you
3> need a place.
4> *S
Remember, you have to press the Return key at the end of
each line. To send the note, you would type *S (which
is the send command) at the prompt for the last line (in
this case, line 4) and GE Mail would take care of
delivering your letter.
You can also send a letter while you are elsewhere on
GEnie. All you need to do is type "Send" at any GEnie
prompt, then follow the steps as detailed in "Sending a
Letter."
GE MAIL EDITOR COMMANDS
Okay. That was fairly simple. But, what if you want to
review the letter before you send it; what if you change
your mind and don't want to send it at all; or what if
you make a mistake and need to change a word or line.
2-7
2. GE MAIL
t m
There is a group of commands (each beginning with an *)
which gives you flexibility in creating and revising
your letters . These commands are used only at the
number prompts (for example, 1>) while you are entering
or revising your letter. The following is a list of
these commands and descriptions on their use:
*ACC, This allows you to add to the "Carbon Copy :
line by entering additional addresses after
the comma.
* ATO, This allows you to add to the "To:" line by
entering additional addresses after the comma .
*B The Build command lets you type in your text
without having to wait for the line number
prompt . When you type *B, you will be given
the prompt "READY FOR INPUT". At that point,
you can type your text (you still need a
carriage return at the end of each 1 ine ) .
You leave this mode by pressing the Break key
once. You will then be given the line number
prompt for the line following the last one
you entered .
*CC9 This allows you to replace the ,fCarbon Copy:
line . Enter the new addresses af ter the
commas
2-8
2. GE MAILtm
*CHA,
This command is used to find a string of
text and replace it with something else.
The basic format for the command is i
^CHA,/old text/new text/#
The text to be changed is placed between
the first set of slashes and the text that
will replace it is placed within the next
set. The # at the end of the command tells
the system how many occurrences you want to
change. By not entering a number , only the
first occurrence would be changed. If you
wanted to change the first 5 times the text
appeared, you would type 85f after the last
slash. If you wanted to replace all
occurrences , then you type an asterisk (*)
at the end.
You can also tell the command which lines
you want checked and at which occurrence
you want the changes to start. To tell the
command which lines you want checked, you
add them after the first comma. You can
designate single lines , ranges and
combinations as long as they are separated
by commas . For example :
*CHA,5 ,8 , 19-40 ,51 /April /May/*
would search lines 5 , 8, 19 through 40 and
51 for all occurrences of the word April
and replace it with May. If you want the
replacement to begin af ter a certain number
of occurrences, you type the number and an
asterisk (*) before the first slash.
2-9
2. GE MAIL
t m
*CHA (cont) If , in the previous example, you wanted the
changes to begin after the third occurrence
(the third time April occurred) , you would
enter the following:
*CHA, 5 ,8,19-40,51 ,3*/April /May/*
If you forgot the asterisk, the system
would think the 3 was a page number.
*CHAV, This stands for Change and Verify. It
works exactly the same as the CHA command ,
except this will show you the changed
line(s) both before and after the change .
It eliminates having to list the letter to
see if your changes were made .
*CHAVC, This stands for Change and Verify Change.
It works exactly the same as the CHA
command, except this will show you the
line(s) af ter the change . It eliminates
having to list the letter to see if your
changes were made.
*D The delete command allows you to delete a
line, range of lines or combination from
the current text being entered. For
example :
*D, 1,5, 6-11, 16
would delete lines 1, 5, 6 through 11 and
16.
2-10
2. GE MAILtm
*D (cont) The lines deleted will be removed and a "gap"
in the line numbers will exist. The *R or
resequence command can be used to remove this
gap and resequence the line numbers.
The help command will display a menu of
available commands and their syntax form.
*r> The insert command allows you to insert lines
of text after an indicated line. This feature
is useful should you need to "insert" a
paragraph in the current letter. For
example, to insert text after line 6, you
would type: "*I,6". A carriage return on a
line by itself will terminate this mode and
return you to text entry at the bottom of the
letter. Another command will also
terminate the insert mode.
*L, The list command is used to look at a copy of
the letter before it is mailed. Either the
entire letter may be listed or selected lines
within the letter may be requested by
indication line numbers after the comma as
with *Delete.
2-11
2. GE MAIL
*LOC,
t m
This command is used to find a string of.
text. The basic format for the command is:
*LOC , / text/#*
The text to be located is placed between
the slashes. The #* at the end of the
command tells the system how many
occurrences you want to locate. By not
entering a number, only the first
occurrence would be found. If you wante
to locate the first 5 times the text
appeared, you would type ’5*’ after the
last slash. If you wanted to find all
occurrences, then you type an astens
at the end.
You can also tell the command which lines
you want checked and at which occurrence
you want the checking to start. To tell
the command which lines you want checked,
you add them after the first comma. You
can designate single lines, ranges and
combinations as long as they are separated
by commas. For example:
*LOC ,5 ,8 , 19-40 ,51 /April/*
would search lines 5, 8, 19 through 40 and
51 for all occurrences of the word April
and list the lines in which it occurs . If
you want the checking to begin after a
certain number of occurrences, you type the
number and an asterisk (*) before the first
slash.
2-12
2. GE MAIL * m
*LOC (cont) For example, if in the above example, you
wanted the checking to begin after the
third occurrence (the third time April
occurred), you would enter the following:
*LOC ,5,8,19-40,51 ,3* /April/*
If you forgot the asterisk, the system
would think the 3 was a page number .
The resequence command is normally used
after several lines have been removed us ing
the *D (delete) command . This command will
resequence the line numbers , removing any
gaps left due to a previous deletion.
*SUB,
The subject command allows you to change
the subject line of the letter. Enter the
new subject line text after the comma.
The send command is used to mail a finished
letter .
The wipe command is used to wipe or remove
all lines in the current letter. This
command will reposition you to line one (1)
of the letter, thereby allowing you to
reenter the letter.
The exit command will exit the enter
command directly without mailing your
letter .
2-13
2. GE MAIL
t m
Uploading a Letter
Another way to create a GE Mail letter is to write the
letter text on your computer and then upload the
information onto GE Mail. To do this, select the item
"Upload a Letter" from the menu. You will see the same
information message shown earlier . You will then be .
prompted for the "To," "Carbon Copy," and "Subject" line
for the letter .
The next thing you will see is the prompt , "READY FOR
INPUT " At this point , you should start the transfer of
your computer file to GE Mail (the "How" of the transfer
depends on the type of computer you have and the
communications software you are using). When the upload
is complete, press your Break (or equivalent) key. You
will then be shown a line number prompt for the line
number following the last line uploaded. If necessary,
you can add additional text or revise the letter using
the commands described earlier, then enter ,CS to send
your letter.
Searching for Addresses
GE Mail maintains a list of all the names and addresses
which are available on GEnie. By selecting the item
"Search Addresses" from the menu, you can search the
list for specific addresses. You will be given a prompt
Search String?
At the prompt, you can enter all or part of the name or
address you are looking for. GE Mail will give you a
list of all names and addresses containing your search
string.
2-14
2. GE MAIL
t m
GE Mail Command Mode
The GE Mail Command mode item on the menu is for more
experienced users . Whe,n you choose this item, you will
see the following prompt:
Command?
At this point, you can use a number of commands that
offer a great deal of flexibility in creating and
reading mail. They can be abbreviated to 3 letters and
can be either upper or lower case:
ACCept This command is used to upload a letter.
When you enter "Accept" you will be prompted
for your "To," "Carbon Copy," and "Subject"
information. You will then see the message
"READY FOR INPUT." At this point, activate
your upload protocol.
When the upload is finished, you need to
press your terminal's BREAK key (or
equivalent). You will be given a line number
prompt and can either edit the text or mail
it using one of the "*" commands described
earlier. NOTE: There is no XMODEM available
for GE Mail uploading.
ENTer This command is used to create a letter.
After you type ENT at the "Command?" prompt ,
the sequence of events is the same as for the
item "Send a Letter" on the GE Mail menu.
You will be prompted for the appropriate
information and then will be allowed to enter
your text. The same ^commands described
earlier apply here. ENTER should not be used
for GE Mail uploading.
2-15
2. GE MAIL
EXIt
LISt
t m
This command allows you to exit the GE Mail
command mode and return to the GE Mail menu.
To list your mail (that is, print it either
at your screen or your printer), type LIST at
the ’’Command? M prompt. This will list all
your letters waiting in the queue list .
After your letters have been listed , they are
removed from the queue list , but are kept in
a ’’holding file” for 5 days. Using some of
the commands mentioned later , you can still
list a letter for up to five days after it
has been removed from the queue list.
There are a number of options which allow you
to list your letters in a variety of ways .
Note that the letters either have to be sent
by you or to you in order for them to be
listed . The description below explains them
more fully:
LIST - Lists all unlisted letters and
removes them from the queue list. The
letters remain in the ’’holding file” for five
days and can be listed using some of the
other commands mentioned below.
LIS ALL - Lists letters from both the queue
list and the holding file.
LIST 1 - Lists the letter #1 from the queue
list. LIS 1-5 would list numbers 1-5 in the
queue list.
2-16
2. GE MAILtm
LIST 7266120 - Lists only the letter with the
item number 7266120.
LIST =date - This will search for a letter
created on the date (entered in yymmdd
form) . You can also use the < (less than) or
> (greater than) signs to define dates.
LIST TO : JEAN — Lists all letters that you
have sent to the GE Mail address of JEAN that
are still in the queue or holding file.
LIST FROM : JEAN — Lists all letters sent to
you by or from the GE Mail address of JEAN
that are still in the queue or holding file.
LIST FROM : JEAN 850601 - Lists all letters
(still in the queue or holding file) sent to
you by JEAN on June 1, 1985.
LIST TO : JEAN 850601 — Lists all letters
(still in the queue or holding file)sent to
JEAN on June 1, 1985.
LIST FROM : JEAN <850601 - Lists all letters
(still in the queue or holding file) sent to
you by JEAN before June 1, 1985.
LIST TO: JEAN <850601 - Lists all letters
(still in the queue or holding file) sent to
JEAN before June 1, 1985.
LIST FROM: JEAN >850601 - Lists all letters
(still in the queue or holding file) sent to
you from JEAN on or after June 1, 1985.
2-17
2. GE MAIL
t m
LIST TO: JEAN >850601 - Lists all letters
(still in the queue or holding file) sent to
JEAN on or after June 1, 1985 .
LIST SUBJECT: 'APPLE' - Lists all letters
(still in the queue or holding file) with the
word APPLE in the Subject Line. Quotemarks
are required .
SC An Scan allows you to print your letters but
does not erase the information from the
queue listing. You can scan all your letters
or only particular ones.
At the "Command?" prompt, type "Scan". The
system will scan your letters from the queue
listing without removing them from future
displays .
Scan has a number of options which are
identical to those of the List command
described earlier (except that Scan lets you
look at your letters without removing them
from the queue list). Please refer to those
pages, and replace List with Scan anywhere it
appears .
Display The Display command produces one line of
descriptive display information on unlisted
letters. Just like the List and Scan
commands , there are numerous forms of the
Display command. The options are identical
to those of the List command described
earlier. Please refer to those pages, and
replace List with Display anywhere it appears.
2-18
2. GE MAILtm
TBAtch This command allows you to create letters and
messages on your computer and then transfer
them to GE Mail. However , to use this
command, your terminal must be able to
transfer locally stored data.
To use TBATCH, you must already have created
the file you want to send. It should contain
the following elements:
1* The first line must contain the address
or addresses of those who are to receive
your letter (the TO: line). Separate each
address with a comma, e.g., EAST, WEST
2. The second line must contain the
address or addresses of those to whom you
are sending copies (the Carbon Copy: line)
or a blank line if no copies are to be
sent. If several addresses are used,
separate each with a comma on the same
line.
3. The third line must contain the subject
of your letter (the Sub: line).
A. At the fourth line begin typing your
text. The last line of the file must
contain only *S <cr> .
After you have created your file, you can
transfer it using TBATCH to GE Mail. To do
this, follow these steps:
2-19
2. GE MAIL
t m
1. Type TBATCH at the "Command?" prompt.
2. The system will respond with, "READY
FOR INPUT."
3. Begin your file transfer. Follow
instructions for your computer and/ or
software package.
4. Press your BREAK (or equivalent) key
when the transfer is completed to create
and send the letter.
5. Wait for the system to respond with a
message saying that it has created and
sent the letter.
6. You will be returned to the "Command?"
prompt .
CANcel You can use the Cancel command to delete a
letter after you have already sent it. All
you need to know is the item reference
(that's the 7 digit number assigned to every
letter). For example, if the item reference
number for the letter you mailed was 2314560,
the command to delete that letter would be:
CANCEL 2314560
2-20
2. GE MAILtm
Send FEEDBACK to GEnie Editor
The "Send FEEDBACK to GEnie Editor" item on the GE Mail
menu allows you to send your comments and suggestions to
the GEnie editor. If you select this item, you will see
the messages
This selection sends a GE Mail to the GEnie
Editor. When you see the prompt, Ml>" , enter
your text. When you finish entering your text,
use the command, *S , to send the mail.
1>
At that point, you can enter your letter to the GEnie
editor. You can use the * commands mentioned earlier if
you want to edit your letter, then use *S to send it .
WHAT ABOUT STAMPS?
You now know how to send and receive GE Mail. As you
see, it is fast and easy.... and cheap. You don’t need
stamps and you don’t have to pay anything extra to send
mail . Just think of GEnie as your friendly letter
carrier.... only better because GEnie never gets sick or
goes on strike.
2-21
NEWS AND REFERENCE
This is the section where GEnie keeps the articles,
electronic magazines, newsletters, encyclopedias, etc.
There are also movie reviews, book reviews, and other
information (such as articles by Steve Roberts, who
tells about his experiences traveling across America on
his computerized bike).
There is only one command you might want to use and that
is the Scroll modifier. If, when you choose and item,
you put an S at the end of the item number (such as
"4S"), the text of that item will continue to scroll to
the end instead of stopping every time the screen is
filled. This is useful if you are printing the text.
Check here often. It is a good source of information
and it will be updated frequently.
3-1
WELCOME TO LiveWire
GEnie * s LiveWire CB Simulator lets you use your terminal
to talk to people from all over the United States.
There are 40 CB channels and people may be talking
about different things on each channel .... or everyone
may be on one channel. It is fun to explore , talk and
listen.
THE LiveWire Menu
To enter GEnie* s world of LiveWire CB Simulator, all you
do is select the "GEnie LiveWire CB Simulator" item from
the Top Menu. You can also type "CB" at any menu prompt
within GEnie. Either will take you to the LiveWire menu.
4-1
Section 4. THE GEnie LIVEWIRE 1 m CB SIMULATOR
The following is an example of the LiveWire menu:
GEnie CB Page 400
GEnie LiveWire CB Simulator
Handle: Space Cadet
1. GEnie LiveWire Instructions
2. GEnie LiveWire Command Summary
3. Tell it to Muffy 860404
4. Enter the GEnie LiveWire CB
5. GEnie LiveWire Bantering Board
6. Schedule of Events 860409
7. Muffy ' s Merry-Go-Round 860404
8. CB Mystery
9. Change Reserved Handle
Enter #, <P>revious, or <H>elp?
The items relating to LiveWire Instructions and the
Command Summary are self explanatory. "Tell it to
fluffy11 is an advice column for GEnie users (the counter¬
part is "Muffy' s Merry-Go-Round," which is the GEnie
gossip column... all are encouraged to contribute).
The Schedule of Events discusses special, upcoming
events (CBers are famous for there on-line and off-line
parties).... and the CB Mystery is just that, an on-line
mystery. The "Change Reserved Handle" item allows you
to change your "protected" CB handle (the one no other
CBer may use).
That leaves the items for getting on LiveWire CB and.
for the Bantering Board. First we will discuss LiveWire
CB.
4-2
4. THE GEnie LIYEWIRE ‘ m CB SIMULATOR
GETTING ON LiveWire
To sign on to the LiveWire CB system, select the item
“Enter the GEnie LiveWire CB. " That ' s it... now we get
to the fun part .
CHOOSING A HANDLE
The first thing you will be asked to do is to select a
"Handle" to use while on CB. Your Handle is the name
that you will use when you talk to other CBers - it is
your identification. It can be a nick-name, the name of
a favorite fiction character, a phrase that describes
your personality . . . . the main thing is to make the name
interesting and distinctive. Good CB handles give you
individuality and help stimulate conversation.
Your handle can be from 1 to 24 characters in length.
To select your handle, simply type your choice after the
following prompt :
Job: 21
What is your HANDLE (1 to 24 characters)
?
The "Job : 21" notice is your assigned job number . This
is used with certain commands. Every user on CB is
assigned a job number every time they sign on to CB.
To speed things up, you can also set your handle in the
"User Settings and Account Information" menu. For
example , if you chose one (let 1 s say Lady Godiva) , you
would see the following when you sign on :
Handle of <Lady Godiva> will be used.
OK? (Y/N)?
4-3
4. THE GEnie LIVE WIRE 4 m CB SIMULATOR
If you enter yes , you will proceed onto CB. If you
enter no, you will be prompted for the handle you want
to use. The saved handle can be changed by going to the
"User Settings and Account Information” item in the Top
Menu and resetting your handle *
CHOOSING A CHANNEL
Next , you will be shown how many users are on each
channel and be assigned a job number . The job number is
used with certain commands while you are on CB . Every
CBer is assigned one by the GEnie .
Next , you choose the channel you want by typing in an
answer to the prompt:
What CHANNEL (1 to 40)
?
If you press the Return without entering an answer, you
will automatically be assigned channel 13 . The first
few times on, you may want to explore channels . Some
channels will have certain characteristics. For
example, channel 11 may be the "In Search Of" channel
for people wanting dates or hoping to meet that someone
special. Channel 25 might be for those interested in
technical discussions. It is fun to check and see what
is going on.
WHAT NOW?
Let's say your handle is HARPO MARX and you have selected
channel 16. Your entry into CB would look like this:
** < HARPO MARX> is on.
Welcome to Channel 16.
4-4
4. THE GEnie LIVEWIRE 1 m CB SIMULATOR
Note: The double asterisk (**) indicates that the
message is from LiveWire .
You are now on channel 16. Everyone on channel 16 will
see a message that you have arrived. You will
immediately start seeing the messages of the other CBers.
Their conversations will already be in progress , so
things may seem a bit confusing at first. But don't
worry, it doesn't take long to get into the flow.
Each CBer's handle appears before their message and is
"framed" in angle brackets. The handles in brackets are
entered automatically by GEnie, the text by the CBer.
For instance, when you first arrive, you might see:
** <Harpo Marx> is on.
<Surfer From L. A. > Hello Harpo . Welcome.
Are you a Marx Brothers fan?
<Beekeeper> Rosebud, I am not sure I agree.
<HALF ASLEEP> Of course Rosebud is right.
Greetings Harpo.
At this point you should type in a greeting of some
sort, and most of the CBers on the channel will return
the greeting. To enter a message, just type your text
and press the Return when you are finished. Other
CBer's messages may scroll over your text while you are
typing.... this is normal. The LiveWire CB Simulator
will keep things straight, and your message will appear
clear.
You can delete your text before you press the RETURN by
pressing Control X (or your equivalent).
4-5
4. THE GEnie LIVE WIRE m CB SIMULATOR
Now, it * s up to you. You can discuss Marx Brothers
movies with Surfer From L. A. . . . or you can find out
what Beekeeper, Rosebud and HALF ASLEEP are talking
about... or you can start your own discussions.... or
you can just have fun watching.
CB COMMANDS
The LiveWire CB Simulator has a series of commands which
you can use. These commands allow you to change your
handle, change channels, have private or coded
conversations with other CBers , and other things. Each
command starts with a slash (/) and is followed by a
command word. Only the first three (3) letters of the
command are needed and you can use either upper or lower
case. They can be entered any time you are on a CB
channel .
The following is a list of these commands and a brief
discussion of when and how to use them. From here on,
you are on your own. . . . enjoy and have fun.
/BYE When you are ready to leave CB, /BYE will
sign you off and disconnect the phone.
Everyone on your channel will see a
message that you have left. For example:
** <HARPO MARX>is off.
/CALI job# If you want to get another CBer's
attention, you can use this command. For
example, if someone is in the private
mode, you can use the /CAL command to let
them know that you are waiting.
4-6
4. THE GEnie LIVEWIRE t m CB SIMULATOR
/CALI (cont)
/CHAnnel #
/ECHo
/EXIt
/HANdle new
They will see a message, like:
** <HARPO MARX> is calling.
The LiveWire CB Simulator assigns every CB
user a job number for identification
purposes while they are on CB. You can
find out a job number by using the /STA or
/SHO command.
This command is used to change from one
channel to another. The # is the channel
you want to move to. For example, if you
are on channel 13 and want to move to 27,
enter the command /CHA 27. You may change
channels as often as you wish.
This command turns on the echo mode. When
you are in the echo mode, you will see
your messages, as well as the messages of
everyone on your channel. You are
normally in the echo mode. To turn off
the echo mode, issue the command /XECho.
This command is used to leave CB and
return to the GEnie menu.
This command is used to change your
handle. For example, the command:
/HAN GROUCHO MARX
will change your handle to GROUCHO MARX.
4-7
4. THE GEnie LIVEWIREtm CB SIMULATOR
/HANdle (cont) You would see the message:
** <GROUCHO MARX> was <HARPO MARX>
Your handle is now <GR0UCH0 MARX>
The command /Han will show your current
handle (in case you forgot it).
/HELp If you need help, this command will give
you a list of CB commands and brief
descriptions. The help commands can also
be displayed by typing a question mark.
/MONitor # Use /MON if you want to monitor (listen)
to several channels at the same time .
You can only talk on one channel, but you
can listen to up to 4 more . When you are
monitoring, the channel number will be
displayed before a CBer's handle. For
example if you were monitoring channels 7
and 13 , and were on channel 11 , the
conversations might look 1 ike this
example :
(7) <Eveready> TERMINATOR, that is an
odd handle for a female .
(13) <HOPEFUL> Dinner sounds nice, or
maybe a movie.
(13) <Cisco Kid> How bout both, Hope?
(11) <Beekeeper> HARPO , where are you
from?
4-8
4. THE GEnie LIYEWIREtm CB SIMULATOR
/MONitor (cont )
/PRIvate job#
Remember, you will be able to see the
conversations on the channels you are
monitoring, but unless they are
monitoring your channel, they cannot
see yours .
Sometimes you might want to talk to
another CBer without having everyone
else looking in. That is what the
/PRI command is for. You can use it
to enter the private mode with another
CBer (you can only be in private with
one CBer at a time). To use the
command, first use the /STA command to
find the job number of the other
person you want to "go private" with.
Then you simple type /PRI and their
job number. For example, to go
private with Job 6, issue the command:
/PRI 6
Job 6 will receive a message that you
are requesting a private conversation
with them. Your job number will be in
the message, for example:
** <HARPO MARX> Job 2 requests a
private conversation.
4-9
4. THE GEnie LIYEWIREtm CB SIMULATOR
/PRI (cont)
/QUIt
/SC Ramble code
They would respond with®
/PRI 2
and you would see the message:
You are now in private mode with
Job 6 .
In the private mode , all messages are
private between the two of you, and no
one else may view them. You will only
be able to see the messages of the CBer
you are in private with . To exit the
private mode, both users issue the /XPR
command .
This command is like /EXIt. It logs
you off the CB, and returns you to the
GEnie menu.
This command is used to scramble your
messages. Messages will appear
scrambled to anyone who does not know
the 4 character code. To use this
command, first decide on a code word.
Then distribute it to your group (you
could use GE Mail). After signing on,
each member issues the same /SCR
command. The text will appear clear to
all members using the code, but will be
4-10
4. THE GEnie LIVEWIRE 1 m CB SIMULATOR
/SCRamble(cont )
/SHOw handle
/SQUeich job#
/STAtus #
gibberish to everyone else* While in the
scramble mode, you will still be able to
see messages from other CBers .
For example, if you chose the code "Star"
for you groups each member would enter
"/SCR Star" as soon as they got on CB*
This command displays the Job #, City,
and State of the CBer with the handle you
enter with the command. The display is
similar to that of the /WHO command. For
example, "/ SHO Beekeeper" would give you
information about Beekeeper.
Sometimes, a CBer may be bothersome or
obnoxious. This command lets you "rub
them out" so to speak. If you use this
command, you will no longer see any
messages from that individual. However,
they will still be able to see your
messages. Use the /XSQ command to
restore them.
This command displays the handles and job
numbers of other users on the CB. The #
is the channel number you want the status
of. An asterisk (*) would give you a
status list for all channels. If the
channel number is omitted, the status of
your current channel is displayed.
4-11
4. THE GEnie LIVEWIRE 1 m CB SIMULATOR
/STAtus (cont)
/TIMe
/USErs
/WHO job#
For example, if you wanted the status of
channel 7, you would type "/STA 7" and
might get a display similar to this:
Ac t ive users on Channel 7
Job City
1 Rockville , MD
2 Denver , CO
4 Detroit , MI
7 New York , NY
9 New York , NY
Chan Sta Handle
7 N IRONMANtm
7 P Oz
7 P Dorothy
12 M Looker
7 N GROUCHO MARX
In the Sta column, P means the CBer is
in private with someone, M means they
are monitoring the channel , S means they
are in scrambled mode and N means they
are in a normal status .
This command displays the current time
and day. It is Eastern Time.
To find out how many users are on each
channel, use this command. You will be
shown the number of users on each active
channel. Channels without users are not
shown.
This command prints the handle , city and
state of the CBer with the indicated job
number .
4-12
4. THE GEnie LIVEWIREtm CB SIMULATOR
/XECho This command turns off the echo mode.
/XMOnitor This command turns off the monitor
mode. Users on the channels you have
been monitoring will see that you have
stopped monitoring.
/XPRivate This command is used to exit the private
mode. See the discussion under the /PRI
command .
/XSC ramble This command turns off the scramble
mode 3 and produces messages in clear
text .
/XSQuelch This command turns off the squelch of
all jobs you have squelched .
GEnie LiveWire BANTERING BOARD
As you may have noticed by now, CB is for talking,
meeting people and having fun. Another part of the CB
fun is the LiveWire Bantering Board. The Board is
organized by subject areas called categories.
Bulletin Boards are fun and easy to use . There is a
detailed description of how to use them in the
RoundTable section later in this guide.
That’s all there is about GEnie fs LiveWire CB Simulator. Happy
CBing.
4-13
WHAT IS RTC?
Another feature of GEnie is the National Real Time
Conference (or RTC for short). RTC lets you meet and
talk (through your computer) with other people with
similar interests and concerns. The meetings can be
scheduled or impromptu; they can include guest speakers
and allow for questions and answers; they can be formal;
they can be casual... the possibilities are endless.
There is even an electronic stenographer to take notes.
As you will see, the RTC is a lot like CB. The main
difference is that the RTC is better suited for serious
meetings or "Real Time Conferences."
5-1
Section 5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
GETTING ON
To get on the RTC from the Main Menu, you select the
"National Real Time Conference" item. Or, from any
GEnie menu, you can type "RTC" and you will be taken to
the RTC menu. The RTC menu has a command summary , some
general instructions and a schedule of events so you
know what is or will be happening . To join a meeting ,
select the item, "Join the RTC Conference.".
JOINING A MEETING
RTC is organized into 40 meeting rooms . You will be
shown how many people are in each room. Before you can
select the room you want to visit , RTC displays the name
assigned to you for the meeting. Unlike CB, you cannot
choose a name or handle . The name used is your GE Mail
address (see the section on GE Mail for more
information). You will see a message, something like
this :
Address of < ROGERS) will be used.
This means all the messages you type while in the
meeting will be shown with your address name. For
example, if your address was ROGERS , and you typed "I’m
sorry I am late for the meeting." RTC would show:
< ROGERS) I'm sorry I am late for the meeting.
5-2
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
Choosing The Room
Since meetings are usually scheduled in advance, you will
probably know which room you want. You choose the room
by typing in your answer to the prompt:
What ROOM (1-40)?
The meeting leader may have posted a notice on the door
which details the purpose of the meeting. This will be
displayed when you enter the room.
For example , if you chose Room 13 and your address was
ROGERS s your entrance might look like this:
Room 13, the David Livingston room.
Notice on door: This meeting is for those
interested in the new communication software for
the IBM PC. The software developer, Mr. Roy
Standers will be available for questions at the
end of the meeting.
<R0GERS> is here.
You would then be in the meeting in Room 13. However,
if you are late for a meeting or your attendance is not
wanted for some reason (perhaps security) , the meeting
leader may have locked the door to the room. In this
case you would get the message:
The door to that room is locked .
Please choose another?
5-3
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
You would have to select another room number. However ,
you can use the /KNOck command (see later in this
section) from another room to request entry (unless
there is a Do Not Disturb sign on the door.... in which
case , you are out of luck because you can t knock if
there is a Do Not Disturb sign).
TAKING PART IN A MEETING - ATTENDEE COMMANDS
Next, you need to know some commands so you can talk and
ask questions in the meeting. RTC provides you with a
selection of commands which help you get the most out of
the meeting (if you are familiar with CB, many of these
commands are similar ) .
There are two sets of commands: one for the meeting
leader and another for attendees. The attendee commands
will be explained here and the meeting leader commands
will be described later in this section.
The attendee commands allow you to change rooms, have
private or coded conversations with other meeting
attendees, find out who is attending, and other things.
Each command starts with a slash (/) and is followed by
a command word . Only the f irs t three (3) letters of
the command are needed and they can be entered in either
upper or lower case. They can be entered any time you
are in a meeting.
On the following pages is a list of the commands and a
brief description of how to use them . The next step is
up to you _ enjoy your meeting.
5-4
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/BYE
/CALI
/ECHo
When you are ready to leave a meeting,
/BYE will sign you off and disconnect the
phone. Everyone in your room will see a
message that you have left. For example:
<ROGERS> is off.
job# If you want to get the attention of
someone else in the meeting, you can use
this command. For example, if someone is
in the private mode, you can use the /CAL
command to let them know that you are
waiting or that they are needed in the
discussion.
They will see a message, like:
<ROGERS>, Job 6 is calling.
You can find out their job number by using
the /STA or /SHO command. You can also
call on someone in another room. However,
you may get the message ,fThere is a "DO
NOT DISTURB" sign on the door. This means
the meeting leader in that room does not
want anyone interrupted.
This command turns on the echo mode. When
you are in the echo mode, you will see
your messages, as well as the messages of
everyone at the meeting. You are
automatically put in the echo mode when
you first sign on the RTC. To turn off
the echo mode, issue the command /XEC.
5-5
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/EXIt
/HELp
/KNOck room#
/MONitor #
This command is used to leave RTC and
return to the GEnie menu.
If you need help, this command will give
you a list of RTC commands and brief
descriptions. You can also type a
question mark ("?”) and you would
receive the same help list.
A meeting leader can limit access to a
meeting by locking the door. The /KNOck
command allows you to get the attention
of the meeting leader unless a Do Not
Disturb sign has been posted (m which
case, KNOcking is not allowed). The
leader will see the message:
< ROGERS > , Job 6 is calling.
The leader can then decide to unlock the
door and/or send you a message.
Use /MON if you want to monitor (listen)
to several meetings at the same time.
You can only talk in one meeting, but
you can listen to meetings in up to 4
other rooms. When you are monitoring,
the room number will be displayed before
a meeting participant's name. For
example if you were monitoring rooms /
and 13, and were on room 11, the
conversations you saw might look like
the example on the next page .
5-6
5* NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/MONitor (cont)
/PRIvate job#
(7) <T. J. LAD> I might be able to
figure out another solution. If I
do, I will let you know by GE Mail,
(13) <Jennings> I liked the
software, but the documentation was
horrible •
(13) <LATT> Jennings, but the
software is so easy, you don’t need a
book. Don’t you agree, Roberts?
(11) < Johnny L> So the next meeting
is set for January 16 at 10:00 AM
EST. I * 11 send you a copy of the
meeting text via GE Mail .
Remember, you will be able to see their
conversations , but unless they are
monitoring your meeting , they cannot see
yours . Also , you cannot monitor a
locked room.
Sometimes you might want to talk to
someone else at the meeting without
having everyone else looking in. That
is what the /PRI command is for . You
can use it to enter the private mode
with anyone else at the meeting
(although you can only be in private
with one other person at a time ) . To
use the command, first use the /STA
command to find the Job number of the
other person you want to "go private"
with.
5-7
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/PRIvate
/QUIt
(cont) Then you simply type /PRI and their job
number. For example, to go private with
Job 6, issue the command :
/PRI 6
Job 6 will receive a message that you
are requesting to have a private
conversation with them. Your job number
will be in the message, for example:
<ROGERS> Job 2 requests a private
conversation.
They would respond with:
/PRI 2
and you would see the message :
You are now in private mode with Job
6.
In the private mode, all messages are
private between the two of you, and no
one else may view them. You will only
be able to see the messages of the
person you are in private with. To exit
the private mode, both users issue the
/XPR command .
This command is like /EXIt. It logs you
off the RTC , and returns you to the
GEnie menu.
5-8
/RAIse
/R0L1
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
■hand In some meetings, the leader may require
that a speaker be recognized before
talking (this happens when the meeting
leader puts the room in "Listen Only"
mode). In such meetings, you use the
/RAI command to "get the floor" to
talk. Once the leader has recognized
you, you may then enter your message.
Sometimes the RTG is used for games.
This command rolls "electronic" dice.
The format is /R0L1 nDs , where n is the
number of dice (from 1 to 20) and s is
the number of number of sides (up to
100). The default is one, 6 sided dice,
so :
/ROL - rolls 1D6
/ROL 22 - rolls 1D22
/ROL 2D - rolls 2D6
/ROL D32 - rolls 1D32
For example, if you wanted to roll 5
dice (each with 6 sides), you would
enter "/Rol 5d6." You would see:
Your roll is 5d6 -> 2+6+1+5+3 = 17
The other people in the conference room
would see :
d <Johnson> Rolls -> 2+6+1+5+3 = 17
You get both the individual numbers and
the total.
5-9
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/ROOm #
/SC Ramble code
/SHOw name
This command is used to move from one
room to another. The # is the number of
the room you want to move to . For
example, if you are in Room 13 and you
want to move to Room 27 , enter the
command /R00 27. You may change rooms
as often as you wish as long as the
meetings you wish to attend are open.
This command is used to scramble your
messages . Messages will appear
scrambled to anyone who does not know
the 4 character code . It is useful if
you wish to add an extra layer of
security to your meetings . . . only those
specifically invited would be given the
necessary code.
To use this command, first decide on a
the code word. Then exchange this key
among your group (you could use GE
Mail). After signing on to RTC, each
member issues the same /SCR command.
The text will appear clear to all
members using the code, but will be
gibberish to everyone else. While in
the scramble mode , you will still see
any messages that are unscrambled .
This command displays the Job #, City ,
and State of the person with the name
you enter with the command .
5-10
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/SQUelch job#
/STAtus #
Sometimes, someone at the meeting may be
bothersome or obnoxious. This command
lets you Mrub them out1 2* so to speak. If
you use this command, you will no longer
see any messages from that individual.
However, they will still be able to see
your messages. Use the /XSQ command to
restore them.
This command displays the handles and
job numbers of other users at the
meeting. The # is the Room number you
want the status of. If the Room number
is omitted, the status of your current
room is displayed.
For example, if you wanted the status of
Room 31, you would type /STA 31 and
might get a display similar to this:
Room 31, the Pythagoras room
Job City Room Sta Mail-Address
1 Rockville, MD
2 Denver, CO
4 Detroit, MI
7 New York, NY
9 New York, NY
10 Miami, FL
7 L Johnson
7 P BJN
7 P JJWatts
12 M MARX
7 N TedEvans
7 N WARD
In the Sta column, P means the person is
in private mode, M means they are
monitoring the room, L means they are a
Meeting Leader and N means they are in a
normal status.
5-11
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/TIMe
/USErs
/WHO job#
/XECho
/XMOnitor
/XPRivate
/XSCramble
/XSQuelch
This command displays the current time
and day as Eastern Time.
To find out how many users are in each
room, use this command. You will be
shown the number of users in each room
where there is a meeting. Rooms without
visitors are not shown.
This command prints the name, city and
state of the person with the indicated
job number.
This command turns off the echo mode.
This command turns off the monitor
mode. Users in the rooms you have been
monitoring will see that you have
stopped monitoring.
This command is used to exit the private
mode. See the discussion under the /PRI
command .
This command turns off the scramble
mode, and produces messages in clear
text .
This command turns off the squelch of
all jobs you have squelched.
5-12
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME' CONFERENCING
RUNNING A MEETING - MEETING LEADER COMMANDS
Most of the time , you will probably attend meetings as a
participant. However, in some cases, you may want to
conduct a meeting of your own. To do this, you have to
be made a Meeting Leader by the GEnie administrator. To
request Meeting Leader status, use GE Mail to send the
GEnie administrator (using the GE Mail address of
"Meeting") a brief message stating the nature of the
meeting you wish to schedule, the date and time, guest
speakers you have scheduled, and any other relevant
information. You will be sent a GE Mail letter assigning
you a time and room, and making you a Meeting Leader.
As a Meeting Leader, you have a separate group of
commands which will help you conduct an orderly,
productive meeting. The following is a list of these
commands and a brief description of how to use them.
Also, later in this section, there are some guidelines on
how to set up and conduct a meeting.
/BML To become a Meeting Leader, you must
enter this command after you have entered
your assigned room. You will see the
message :
You are now Meeting Leader.
If you do not enter this command, you
will not be able to use any of the
Meeting Leader commands.
5-13
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/DONtdisturb
/HEM
/Listen job#
You can post a Do Not Disturb sign on the
door. This will prevent anyone outside
your room from monitoring, calling anyone
in attendance or knocking to gain entry.
This is the Help for Meeting Leader
command. It will give you a brief listing
of the commands available to a Meeting
Leader.
The /LIS command works two ways: you can
put the entire room in the listen only mode
or you can put individual participants in
the listen only mode. Listen only means
that the attendees will not be able to
enter any messages.... only listen to
selected individuals. To put the entire
room (except for yourself) in the listen
only mode, you would type /LIS. Everyone
at the meeting would see the message:
Room is now in a listen-only mode.
New people entering the room would see a
similar message. You can also "turn off"
individuals by using the /LIS command with
their job number. For example, if you
wanted Job 6 to stop talking and listen,
you would enter /LIS 6. RTC would display
the message:
Job 6 is now listen-only.
5-14
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/LIS (cont)
/KIL1 job#
/LOCk
Anyone who is in the listen only mode can
ask to speak by using the /RAIse hand
command. In that case, you would see a
message like:
<WillIams>, Job 5 hand is raised.
If you want, you could enter /XLIS 5 to
allow Williams to speak. This would put
Williams in the talk allowed mode. The
/XLIS command is described later in this
list .
The /KIL command is used to remove a
troublesome attendee from a meeting. It
is a deadly command and should be used
with discretion. If you Kill a job
number, that individual is literally
"thrown out of the meeting." They will
be removed from the meeting, they will be
taken back to the U #= prompt. Make sure
to lock the door behind them to prevent
them from returning.
This command allows you to lock the
room. You might lock the room to
increase security or simply to prevent
latecomers from disrupting the
proceedings. When you use the /LOC
command, people trying to enter the room
will see the following message:
Room is locked.
Please choose another room?
5-15
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/LOCk (cont)
/MAI1
/NOTiee text
If someone wishes to get into a locked
room 9 they may go to another room and
knock on your room® You could then
decide to unlock the door (using the
/XLOC command described later). You
could also use the /SENd command
(described later) to send them a
message (such as "This meeting is
closed for security reasons.").
This command is used to mail the steno
notes to the meeting leader. It starts
the electronic stenographer with a
clean page again. See /STEno for more
information.
This command will put the message
on the door so that everyone who enters
will see it. It is usually used to
post the purpose of the meeting and
state who is invited. For example, you
might enter "/NOT This meeting will
review the new graphics software for
the Apple lie. Ms. Jennifer Lewis, a
software developer will be available
for questions during the meeting."
Then, everyone who entered the room for
the meeting would see:
Notice on door: This meeting
will review the new graphics
software for the Apple lie. Ms.
Jennifer Lewis, a software
developer will be available for
questions during the meeting.
5-16
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/ROM
/SENd job# text
/STEno
This is the same as /R0L1 (described
in Attendee commands) except the roll
is only shown to the meeting leader.
During a meeting, you can use this
command to send a specific message to
an individual. The message could be
informative, a warning, or whatever.
It can also be used to communicate
with someone outside the meeting (for
example, if someone outside is
knocking you might send them a message
explaining the meeting is closed for
security reasons). To send a message
to Job 6, you would type "/SEN 6
Please be quiet, or you will be asked
to leave." If your address is ROGERS,
they would see:
< ROGERS > Please be quiet, or you
will have to leave.
No one else would see the message.
If you want a record of the meeting,
you should use the /STE command. This
will assign your meeting one of the
stenographers from the electronic
steno pool. You will see a message
like this :
<Doctor Watson> The Stenographer
is here.
Doctor Watson has come from the
steno pool.
5-17
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
/STEno (cont)
/XDOntdisturb
/XLIsten job#
/XLOck
/XSTeno
The electronic stenographer will start
taking notes of all proceedings. When
you issue the /MAI1 command, the
stenographer mails you the notes and
starts over with clean note page. It is
recommended that you mail the notes
frequently, so that you avoid extremely
long and awkward sets of notes . After
the meeting, you can edit these files and
send copies to the meeting attendees if
you want .
This removes the Do Not Disturb sign from
the door.
The /XLI form of the command will put the
room hack in the talk mode. The /XLI
job# form will put an individual back in
the talk mode.
This command will unlock the room.
The /XST command will send the
stenographer back to the steno pool. You
will see a message similar to:
< Doctor Watson> Stenographer has
stopped recording.
Steno is returned to the pool.
5-18
5- NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
CONDUCTING A MEETING
Conducting a meeting is more than just knowing the
commands . The following is a brief outline of how a
typical meeting might be set up and conducted:
!• Send notice of the time , date, and room number for
the meeting via GE Mail to all participants in advance
of the meeting • Optionally a keyword could be provided
for use in the /SCRamble command if extra security was
needed • If the meeting is of general interest, you can
post the information on the appropriate Bulletin Board.
2. You should arrive at your assigned room at least 15
minutes early to get things ready.
3. Enter the command ,,/BMLM to become the Meeting Leader.
4. Use the "/STA" command to see who is in the room.
Those who do not belong, should be asked to leave.
5. Next, you need to get the room set up:
a. Use the "/NOTice" command to post a short notice
about the subject of the meeting, and any special
information.
b. Decide on the level of control for the meeting.
Should the room be locked, or open. Should there be
a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door, or should
KNOcking and CALling be allowed. Should the room be
in a LISTEN ONLY mode? Use the appropriate commands
to set things up.
5-19
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
c. Start with only a notice on the door. Allow the
first 5 minutes of the meeting to be open, with tree
entry to the meeting, and unrestricted conversion.
Greet each participant as they arrive.
6. Start the meeting on time. In this example, the
meeting is rigidly controlled. However, how much you
control things in your own meeting is up to you. Next.
a. Lock the room. Issue the command "/LOCk". Then
announce that the meeting is ready to begin. Allow
a minute or two for the room to quiet down.
b. If you decided not to allow /KNOcking on the door
and /CALling of participants from outside the room,
post a DO NOT DISTURB sign with the /DONtdisturb
command .
c. Put the room in the "listen-only mode". Use the
command "/Listen" .
d. Get a Stenographer from the steno pool to take
notes. Use the "/STEno" command to get one.
Periodically, use the /MAI1 command to send yourself
copies of the notes. After the meeting, your notes
can be sent to participants via GE Mail.
e . Enter your opening remarks .
7. Briefly explain the meeting rules to the
participants. They should use the "/RAIse-hand" command
to get your attention when they want to speak. To
recognize someone, use the command /XLIsten job#. This
will put them in the talk mode. To return them to listen
mode, use /Listen job#.
5-20
5. NATIONAL REAL TIME CONFERENCING
8. Other tools for the meeting leader:
a. When someone knocks on the door to your room, and
the DO NOT DISTURB sign is not on, the Meeting
Leader will get a message that the person is
knocking. To let the person in the room, do the
following 3 steps:
Q Issue the command ?,/XLOckM to unlock the
door :
o Issue the command M/SENd job# The door is
now open."
o Use the command "/LOCk" to lock the door
after the person has entered the room,
be If a person misbehaves during a meeting, the
leader may choose to throw them out of the room, and
off the RTC using the /KIL1 command, A warning
should probably be given first. After the /KIL
command is issued, the person will be logged off the
RTC. Clearly the room should be locked to keep the
person from returning.
9. When the meeting is over, do not worry about
cleaning up. When you log off, the room is
automatically cleared of your commands (/LOC, /DON, etc)
and is ready for the next meeting.
10. If you mailed yourself meeting notes, you can edit
them and mail them to the meeting participants.
5-21
NIGHTS WITH THE ROUNDTABLES
If you are using GEnie, you probably have a computer;
and if you have a computer, then the RoundTables can be
21 valuable resource for you. Whatever type of computer
you are using, the RoundTables offer games, software,
technical advice, information, and discussions... as
well as interaction with a group of people who share
your interests. You should be able to spend many nights
with the RoundTables learning and having fun.
6-1
Section 6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
JOINING A ROUNDTABLE
RoundTables can be formed for any special interest
topic. GEnie organizes its RoundTables by grouping them
into 3 categories: GEnie PC RoundTables (deal with
computers, software and related topics); Product
Support RoundTables (these cover topic areas such as
Microsoft Windows and FreeSoft Red Ryder Products), and
Other RoundTables (these include groups of general
interest such as Photography and Diving).
The first menu you see will be similar to the following.
GEnie ROUNDTABLE Page 600
GEnie RoundTables
1. GEnie PC RoundTables
2. Product Support RoundTables
3. Other RoundTables
For our discussion, let's assume you want one of the PC
related RoundTables. You would select item 1, "GEnie PC
RoundTables." You would get a menu like this:
GEnie
Page 601
GEnie PC RoundTables
1. Macintosh*
3. Commodore*
5 . Apple ] [ & / //*
7. Atari* 8-Bit
9. Amiga*
11. ArtPro
13. Atari ST
15. Telecomm
2. IBM PC*
4 . Tandy*
6. Laptops
8. CP/M
10. TI
12. A+ Magazine
14. BBS
16. Data Base
*Tradmark information
is on the next
page.
6-2
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
The actual groups that arc formed will depend, in part,
on the interests of the GEnie users. For our
discussion, let s say you want to join the Macintosh
User Group. Select item 1 from the menu.
You will see the message:
You are not a member of this group.
Do you wish to join (Y/N)?
all you have to do is answer yes. . . you are now
a member.
Each group has a RoundTable Leader (usually referred to
as a Sysop... for System Operator). When you sign on to
a RoundTable, you will be given their name and GE Mail
address. They are there to help.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE?
When you sign on to a RoundTable, you are first shown a
message stating if any members are in Conference. This
refers to the Real Time Conferences in the RoundTable
(for more information on RTC , see the Real Time
Conference section earlier in this guide).
,c Macintosh and Apple II S III
°f Apple Computer, Inc. Tand
of Tandy Corporation. Amiga
tered trademarks of Commodore
PC is a registered trademark
Machines Corporation. Atari
of Atari Corporation.
are registered trademarks
y is a registered trademark
and Commodore are regis—
Business Machines. IBM
of International Business
is a registered trademark
6-3
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Next you will be given the RoundTable menu. The
following is a sample of the Macintosh RoundTable menu
No Members in Conference.
GEnie MAC Page 605
Macintosh RoundTable by Coffee Mug
Library: ALL Libraries
1. Coffee Mug Bulletin Board
2. Mac Real-Time Conference
3. Mac Software Libraries
4. Old Club Bulletins 861120
5. How to use the Bulletin Board..
6. Note on XMODEM. . .
The -Library" title under the menu heading will be .
discussed in the Software Library area later m this
section .
ROUNDTABLE BULLETIN BOARD
Each RoundTable will have its own Bulletin Board. This
is an area where you can electronically post messages or
respond to messages posted by others. It is a perfect
place to exchange information, find solutions to
problems, or discuss issues and topics of interest.
The Board is divided into subject areas called
Categories. The Categories within each RoundTable will
depend on the interests of the group and the
characteristics of their computer. You can make
suggestions to the RoundTable Leader for additional
Categories .
Categories are the subject areas for the Bulletin.
Board. Each Category can contain a series of topics
6-4
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
which can be created by anyone and may be in the form of
a question, problem, statement _ whatever. Other
Category members can then respond to the topic by
entering messages.
The Bulletin Board Prompt
From your RoundTable menu, select the Bulletin Board
item. There is no menu. . . all activity is done from a
command prompt. The first time you enter a Bulletin
Board, you will be given a prompt similar to the
following:
Category 1 Club Bu
1 CATegories
2 NEW messages
3 SET category
4 DEScribe category
5 TOPic list
6 BROws e new msgs
7 REAd a message
8 REPly to a topic
9 STArt a topic
Enter #, <COMmand> «
1 ?
iness
10 INDex of topics
11 SEArch topics
12 DELete message
13 IGNore category
14 PROmpt setting
15 SCRoll setting
16 NAMe used in BB
17 EXIt
18 HELp
r <HEL>p
The number before the question mark indicates the
Category you are in. When you first enter the Bulletin
Board, you will always be in Category 1 . This is your
"base" category.
At the "?" prompt , you can enter the number for a
command, or the command itself. The "?" may be another
character or string if you changed your prompt at the
User Settings and Information item from the main menu.
6-5
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Once you are more familiar with the commands, you can
enter the command "PROmpt BRIef" and you will get a
shorter prompt, like this:
Command: CATegories, TOPics, REAd, REPly , BROwse,
SETcat, EXIt, or HELp
1 ?
You can shorten the prompt even more. By entering
"PROmpt NONe" you would get the following:
1 ?
The command "PROmpt FUL1" will return you to the long
prompt .
BULLETIN BOARD COMMANDS
At this point, you can use a number of commands that
offer a great deal of flexibility in creating and
reading topics and messages. The commands can be
abbreviated to three characters and can be either upper
or lower case. A more detailed explanation of the more
frequently used commands is covered in "Using the
Commands" later in this section.
ATTendees This command displays the name, GE Mail
address and date the Board was last
accessed for each of the users in the
current Category. On the CB Bantering
Board, only the user's handle and last
access date are displayed.
BROwse This command lets you browse new items
in a specific Category or throughout all
Categories. The command "Browse" will
check the current Category.
6-6
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
BROwse (cont)
BYE
CANcel #
CATegories
The command "Browse All" will review new
items in all the Categories you are a
member of. The function of the command
is the same as the "Browse New Items"
menu selection.
You have the option of entering "BROwse
NOReply". From that point on , you will
no longer be prompted for a response
while browsing in the current board. You
can also enter "BROwse ALL NOReply" if
you want to avoid the response prompt
while browsing ALL Categories.
This command exits you from the Bulletin
Board and logs you off GEnie.
This command allows you to end
participation in a Category (you will be
resigning your membership so it will no
longer be part of the All Categories
group). This tells the RoundTable
that you do not want to know about new
messages in that category when you
request a short display of new items.
The # stands for the number of the cate¬
gory that you don’t want to participate
in any longer. You can "rejoin" a
Category by using the "SET" command.
This command provides a list of
available Categories. To get a list of
the Categories you are a member of, type
"CAT ATT". Remember, as a new member of
a board, you belong to all categories
(unless you have used the CANcel command
to end participation in certain
Categories ) .
6-7
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
DELete
DEScribe #
EXIt
IGNore Topic#
This stands for Delete message and is
used to delete messages from a topic.
You can only delete messages you have
entered .
The topic number and message number are
required . If omitted, you will be
prompted .
The format is:
DELete topic# message#
where ’’topic#” is the number of the
topic that contains the message you want
to delete and ’’message# is the number of
the message to be deleted.
If you change your mind, you can also
restore a message that you deleted (see
REStore ) .
This lists a brief description of the
Category with the number (# ) selected.
This command returns you to the Bulletin
Board menu.
This command lets you ignore existing,
new messages within a specific topic in
the current Category. Ignoring these
messages means that GEnie will not list
messages in that topic as new* The "#”
with the command specifies which topic
you want to ignore new messages in.
You can also type ’’IGNore CAT” to ignore
all new messages in the current category
6-8
6* ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
IGNore ALL
INDex
JOInall
Move xxx
Move xxx;y
NAMe
You can use "IGNore ALL" to ignore all
new messages in all Categories. Ignored
messages can still be read using the
specific message numbers with the REAd
command . The IGNore command can be
useful if you do not want to read all the
new messages on a Board or if you haven st
been on for a while , or a backlog of
messages exist.
This command produces a descriptive index
of topics within each Category. For each
topic in a Category, the index shows the
topic number, the short subject
description, the number of messages in
the topic , the topic status (either open
or closed) , and the author.
This command allows you to join all
categories at once . Remember , unless you
have cancelled your membership in a
Category , you are already a member of all
Categories .
This command moves you from the Bulletin
Board to another area in GEnie . For
example , to move to page 400 you would
type "M 400."
This moves you to listed page (xxx) and
item (y). If you wanted to move to page
400 , item 4 , you would type "M 400 ;4 . "
NAMe changes your nick-name for the
current board . You will be prompted for
the new name .
6-9
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
NEW
PROmpt
QUIt
This command will provide a descriptive
list telling how many messages are new
within each topic in the current Category
(a new message is one you haven't read
yet) . For example , if you were in
Category 1 (Club Business ) and typed
"NEW", you might see:
11 new msgs in topic 1: "New Bus iness"
21 new msgs in topic 2: "Mac RTC"
The command "NEW ALL" will tell you how
many new topics and messages are in each
Category. For example:
Category 1 has 66 new Messages and 4
new Topics
Category 2 has 24 new Messages and 2
new Topics
PROmpt lets you change the prompt
format. "PROmpt FUL1" gives you the long
listing (the prompt lists all available
commands). "PROmpt BRIef" gives you a
shorter version (it shows only key
commands) and "PROmpt NONe" gives you the
shortest version (no commands shown).
This will return you to the menu. It is
the same as EXIt and STOp.
6-10
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
REAd
This command allows yon to read messages
within the topic. The parameters for the
REAd command are:
READ # [optional parameters]
where # is the number (or range of
numbers) of the topic (s) you want to read
from (this is required) . The # could
also be the word "All" which would let
you to read messages from all the topics
in the current Category.
The optional parameters are :
NEW : list all new messages
ALL : list all messages
LAST : list the last message entered
in the topic
#-# : list messages within the
range. If only 1 number is given, only
that message will be listed. If you
haven't read message 4, and you list
message 5, a subsequent 'REAd NEW' will
only list unread messages greater than
5 •
NOText : lists only who made the
response and when it was made.
6-11
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
REPly #
AUThor=name : lists those messages
entered by the author specified by
"name". The command is case blind and
"name" can be any beginning portion of
a name * For example, "AUThor=c" would
list messages of any author whose name
begins with a "c" .
Note, however, that in the LiveWire
Bantering Board , ALL NAMES ARE
CONSIDERED TO BEGIN WITH A M<". So in
the above example , you would enter ^ ^
"AUThor=<c" if you were looking for "c"
names in the Bantering Board.
D ATe=YYMMDD : lists messages by
date. The "=" sign could also be "<"
(less than date) or ,f>,t (greater than
date). There should be no spaces when
entering the command (eg,
"DATe=850925" ) .
Af ter reading the messages irom each
topic , you will get a prompt which will
allow you to enter a reply, start a new
topic, review messages, move on to the
next topic or quit and return to the
command prompt .
This command allows you to add a reply to
the topic. The # specifies which topic
within the category you want to reply
to. If omitted, you will be prompted.
6-12
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
REStore
SCRoll
SEArch
This stands for Restore message. It
allows you to restore messages that have
been deleted. You can only restore
messages that you have created and
deleted (see DELete). The topic number
and message number are required. If
omitted, you will be prompted.
REStore topic# message#
where "topic#” is the number of the topic
that contains the message you want to
restore and "message# is the number of
the message to be restored. However, you
cannot restore a message if the Sysop
deleted it.
This lets you specify how many lines are
displayed on your screen before the
"RETURN or Scroll" prompt is given. A
length of 0 means no scrolling. This
command changes the length only during
your RoundTable session. The "Set
Terminal Parameters" menu item must be
used to permanently change the length.
The format for this command is
"SEArch /string/ All". The command
allows you to search for a particular
string of text within the topics of the
current Category. The "/" is used for
demonstration . Any delimiter can be
used. For example, "SEA qPCq" is the
same as "SEA /PC/".
6-13
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
SEArch (cont) The "string" is any string of text at
least 3 characters long and is case
blind. The "All" is optional and allows
you to search all Categories. A list of
topics with your search string will be
displayed.
SET#
ST Art
STOp
TOPics
YERsion
This command allows you to change
Categories . The # specif ies which
category you want to move to . If
omitted, you will be prompted for it.
This command allows you to start a new
topic within a category. You will be
prompted for all required information.
This command returns you to the Bulletin
Board menu. It has the same function as
the QUIt and EXIt commands.
This command will give you a list of
topics within the Category .
This gives you the version of the running
software.
USING THE COMMANDS
The following explanations give more detailed descrip¬
tions of some of the more frequently used commands.
6-14
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Checking Categories
The first thing you want to do is find out what
Categories (subject areas) are available in the Bulletin
Board. To do this, type "CAT" at the prompt (or enter
"1"). You will be shown an index list. The items listed
in the index will reflect the interests of the club
members, so indexes will vary from RoundTable to
RoundTable . However, the following will give you an idea
Following is a list of ALL Categories. To get a
list of those you have attended, type 'CAT ATTend '
1 . Club Business
2. Diversions
3. Communications
4. Commercial Software
5 . Freeware/Shareware
6. Developer’s Forum
7. Hardware
8. Lisa/Mac XL
9. Press Releases
10. Open Window
As a new RoundTable user, you will want to check out some
of the Categories that sound interesting. Let's say, you
want to check out the Freeware/Shareware Category. You
would use the command "SET 5" (the item number may be
dif f erent^in the actual, on-line list). You can also
enter "3." You can now look at the contents of that
category.
6-15
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Cheeking Status of New Items
Once you are in a Category, you can do a quick check to
see if anything new has been entered since you last
visited (of course, if this is your first visit, all
messages will be new).
If you enter the command "NEW", you will get a message
telling you if there are any new messages or topics m
the current category.
If you wante to check for new messages in All Categone ,
use7 the command "NEW ALL." The system will check for ne
information in all the Categories you are a member o .
An All Categories listing might look like this.
Category 1 has 25 new Messages and 3 new Topics
Category 3 has 11 new Messages and 2 new Topics
Browsing New Items
The "BROwse" command (item 6) will let you read new
messages. You will also be given the opportunity to
respond to each topic after its messages have teen
listed. On page 6-18 there is an example of a listing,
At the top of the listing will be the name
Category and its reference number (this is
commands discussed later in this section),
example, the reference number is 5 and the
is Freeware/Shareware.
of the
used with some
In the
Category name
6-16
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Next» the first topic will be listed. Topics are
bordered with asterisks (******). The top line will
contain the topic number (in this case, 1) and the date
entered .
The next line has the GE Flail address of the creator of
the topic and the time of creation. The third line
contains the subject for the topic .
Following that, the topic text is listed. When the topic
is done listing , there is a brief message stating how
many messages have been attached to the topic.
In the example, only two messages have been entered. The
listing will then show the messages related to that
topic. The messages are bordered by dashes ( - ) and
numbered .
Once a message has been reviewed, it will no longer
appear when you "browse". After reading all the messages
from each topic, you will get the following prompt (note
that the prompt will vary depending on the Prompt mode
you are in. . . this example is for PROmpt FUL1 ) :
REPly to topic QUIt reading
STArt a new topic #, #-# read prior
Hit Return to continue?
This will allow you to enter a reply, start a new topic,
review messages, move on to the next topic or quit and
return to the command prompt. For example, you can
review a message or group of messages in a topic by
entering the message number (e.g. 1) or range of numbers
(e.g. 2-8 ) at the prompt .
If you select REPly or "STArt , " you will be prompted
for the appropriate information.
6-17
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
The following is an example of a "browse":
Category 5 Freeware/Shareware
k k k k k Vx Vx Vx'
Topic 1 Date: Wed Dec 04, 1985
SIMMS [JoJo] at 10:55 EST
Sub: Who has a speech generator?
Who has a speech generator? Please put
instructions on how to use it here?
2 message(s) total
* k k 'k k k k k k k
Category
Message
ROBERTSON
5, Topic 1
1 Date: Thu Dec 05, 1985
[Greenpeace] at 23:56 EST
If you mean "Talkworks", I have a copy...
Category 5, Topic 1
Message 2 Date: Fri Dec 06, 1985
JOHNSON [BOB] at 07:37 EST
I have a copy (its freeware). I'll upload
it to the Software Exchange library next week.
REPly to topic QUIt reading
STArt a new topic read prior
Hit Return to continue?
6-18
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Entering a Message
Af ter all the new messages for a topic have been listed,
you are given the opportunity to respond. After the
final message, you will see the prompt (this example is
for the Prompt Full mode ) :
REPly to topic QUIt reading
STArt a new topic #, #-# read prior
Hit Return to continue?
If you enter "REPly" the system will show:
Enter memo text. Type '*s ' to send, '*h' for help.
1>
All you have to do is type in your text with a carriage
return at the end of each line . A line number prompt
will appear for the next line. If you want to change
your message as you are entering it, there is a group of
commands (each beginning with an * ) which allows you to
make corrections and changes.
The * commands you can use are *C, *D, *H, *1, *L, *L0,
*S, *W and *X. These commands are described in the
Change and Edit Commands section of the GE Mail chapter
earlier in this book (Note : the other commands described
in that section, will not work in the RoundTables ) .
To enter the message, type "*S" on the last line.
If there were additional topics and messages , they would
be listed after you entered your message (or after you
hit Re turn at the prompt ) . At the end of each listing
of topic and related messages , you are given the
opportunity to reply.
You can also use the "REPly1’ command to enter a message.
6-19
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Entering a Topic
To enter a topic in a Category , you f
that category. You can use the "SET"
necessary. Then, enter the command
be prompted for the topic subject:
irs t need to be in
command if
STArt". You will
Enter the topic Subject (40 chars)
— >
After you enter the subject, you will see the following
prompt to enter your topic text:
Please enter a summary of the Topic (limited to
3 lines)
Enter memo text. Type '*s' to send, '*h' for help.
1>
All you have to do is type in your text with a carriage
return at the end of each line. A line number prompt
will appear for the next line. Remember, you are
limited to only 3 lines. These lines are displayed _
every time a GEnie user reads messages from your topic.
Think about what you enter here, since it will be read
often by many users.
If you want to change your message as you are entering
it, there is a group of commands (each beginning with an
*)’ which allows you to make corrections and changes.
These commands are described in the "Change and Edit
Commands" section of the GE Mail chapter earlier in this
book.
6-20
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Use "*S" to enter the topic on the system. If you want,
you can choose not to enter a summary by just entering
"*S" at the "1>" line prompt.
The system will then show you the number assigned to
your topic and give you the opportunity to enter the
first message . For example :
Topic 7 has been started .
Do you want to enter the first message? (Y/N)
Now that we have finished with Bulletin Boards, let's look at
what else is available in the RoundTables.
REAL TIME CONFERENCE
The RoundTable Real Time Conference (RTC) is an
electronic meeting place where members can gather to
discuss topics of interest. The RTC contains three
"rooms" where the Club Leader may schedule guest
speakers or set up special meetings to discuss software,
hardware , or topics of interest to members . You can
even organize your own meetings through the Club Leader.
There are commands which you need to use to participate
in a RTC. They have already been described in the Real
Time Conferencing section earlier in this guide.
SOFTWARE LIBRARIES
The Software Libraries are a great source of free (aka
public domain ) software . Here , you can upload sof tware
you want to share, or try out software from the
Library. To get to this section, select the "Software
Library" item from the RoundTable menu.
6-21
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
The following is an example of the Software Library menu
for the Macintosh RoundTable. The menu may vary
slightly from one RoundTable to another, but this will
give you an idea::
GEnie PaSe 610
Macintosh Software Library
Libraries: ALL Libraries
1. Description of this Library
2. Directory of files
3. Search the file Directory
4. Browse through files
5. Upload a new file
6. Download a file
7. Delete a file you own
8. Set Software Library
9. Explanation of File Suffixes
10. New Uploads 851215
The software is grouped in subject Libraries. To look
at the available Libraries, you can select the item MSet
Software Library*' and you will get a display similar to
the example on the next page.
6-22
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
This example is for the Macintosh Libraries,
will vary from RoundTable to RoundTable:
GEnie Page 611
Set Mac Software Library
Library: ALL Libraries
1. MacPaint
2. Movies/Music/Speech
3. Games
4. MacWrite/Word [and Font]
5. Desk Accessories
6. General Utilities
7. Communications
8. Basic Files and Utilities
9. C Language/Assembler/Pascal
10. Forth/Lisp/Modula/Logo
11. Information/General Texts
12. Educational
13. Templates [Multiplan and others]
14. Unclassif ied
15. ALL Libraries
You can select an individual Library, or you
All Libraries. Let's say, you want to check
Macintosh Games. You would select the item "
would be returned to the Bulletin Board menu,
top of the page, instead of saying "Library:
Libraries", it would say "Library: Games."
The items
can select
out the
'Games". You
but at the
All
6-23
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Directory of Files
The "Directory of Files" option on the Software Library
menu will give you a brief description of the software
files available in the Libraries (it will do it for A1
Libraries if that is the Library selection, or for the
specific Library you are in). The following is an
example of a directory listing for the Macintosh Games
Library:
Library: 3 - Games
No. File Name Type Address YYMMDD Bytes^Accesses 1
4 HANGMAN4.HQX X EVERLY 851112 5060 3
Desc: Classic Hangman game
2 Warriors X LUCKYLOU 851109 33950 9 -
Desc: Interactive battle
End of Directory.
The Library number and name are displayed first. There
are seven columns of information in the directory
listing. They are:
This is a reference number assigned to
the software file.
This is the file name for the software
file.
This indicates whether the file is
XMODEM (X) or 7 bit ASCII (7).
No.
File name
Type
6-24
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Address
This is the GE Mail address of the
member that put the software file in the
Library.
YYMMDD
This is the date that the software file
was put in the Library.
Bytes
This is the approximate number of bytes
in the file.
Accesses
This tells you how many times that
particular file was accessed by members.
Desc :
This is a brief description of the
software file.
Lib
This is the number of the Library the
file is in.
If your Libraries option had been set for All, you would
get the directory listing for every Library.
Search the File Directory
The "Search the File Directory" option of the Software
Library menu will let you look for files using key
words, strings or other parameters. When you select
this option, you will be guided through the steps. It
is useful if you are looking for certain types of
software or are looking for something in particular.
6-25
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Browse Through Files
The "Browse Through Files" option will show you a
description of each software file in a Library (or in
All Libraries, depending on your Library choice) and
then give you the option of downloading it to your
terminal . If you were in the Macintosh Games menu, and
selected this option, you would get a listing similar to
this one :
Library: 3 - Games
*************************************
Number : 2 Name: HANGMAN4.HQX
Addre s s : EVERLY
Approximate # of Bytes : 5060
Number of Accesses : 14 Library : 3
*************************************
Description:
This is a Mac version of the classic Hangman
game . It is Shareware. Use BinHex to convert.
Keywords : Game, Hangman, Words
File: HANGMAN4 . HQX
XMODEM File ready.
Press < RETURN > to skip, <D>ownload, <L>ist, or
<Q>uit .
6-26
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
At this point, you can Skip to the next software file in
the Library, List the file, Quit and return to the
Libraries menu or start the download.
If you start the download, you will receive a message
telling you how many XMODEM blocks are in the file and
when to start your receive file. For example:
34 XMODEM Blocks in file.
File is ready. Start your receive file.
The file will download. Please note however, that there
are some communication software packages that do not
support XMODEM. If a file is a seven bit text file, you
can only download it as text (there is no XMODEM
download of 7 bit text files). Also, the prompts for
downloading a 7 bit ASCII file are slightly different
than the ones shown for the XMODEM transfer.
If you have any problems, please contact your RoundTable
Sysop.
When the file is finished downloading, you will see the
message:
Download Complete
<B>rowse , <R>epeat, or <Q>uit?
After that, the "Browsing" will continue with the next
file, until all files have been checked or you choose
the Quit option. You can also end a download by
pressing your terminal's Control X.
6-27
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Uploading a File
You may have a software program you wrote or have that
you would like to share with other RoundTable members .
To do this, you need to upload the file to the Software
Library. To do this, you first have to be in the
Library you want the software in*
Next, you should select the item "Upload a New File"
from the Software Library menu. For example , let s say
you want to put a game you wrote in the Macintosh Games
Library.
After selecting the "Upload" item, you will first get a
series of prompts asking for the file name, a shor
description and a long description for the file. Next
you will be asked to enter a series of keywords relating
to the file (these are used in helping the "Search menu
item do its looking) .
When entering the longer description, end each line by
pressing Return. You will be prompted for the next line
of text. Enter a *S when you have typed in your
message. Do not worry about getting it perfect. The
Club Leader will edit it if necessary.
After that, you will be asked to choose the upload
protocol. GEnie will display the file name, your _
address and the brief description so you can check their
accuracy .
6-28
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
The following are examples of these:
Library: 3 - Games
Enter the name of the file you are uploading.
There is a maximum length of 24 characters for
file names.
?Treasure Hunt
Enter a SHORT description of the file you are
uploading. Maximum of 36 Characters.
?Adventurous Search for Treasure
Enter a LONGER description of the file. Maximum
of 10 lines. Type *S to save.
l>In this game, you must search through the 10
2>rooms of the lost Palace of Narite, somewhere in
3>the Jungles of Brazil. The goal is to find the
4>Golden Monkey and return with it safely to your
5>camp .
6>*S
Enter a list of Keywords, comma separated.
? Adventure , Treasure, Golden Monkey
Select Upload Protocol
1. Seven Bit Text
2. XMODEM
3. XMODEM (CRC)
Which item, or H for Help?
You would select your protocol here.
6-29
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Then GEnie would continue with:
File: TREASURE
Addr : DAVISON
Desc: Treasure Hunt
When you see "READY FOR INPUT" start your upload.
When you have f inished hit the <break> key to end
the upload.
READY FOR INPUT
Put in Library (Y/N)?Y
If you enter "Y", the file will be put in "temporary
storage" until the Club Leader can make sure it is a
working program and is not copyrighted. After that, it
will be placed in the appropriate Library for use by
other members .
Downloading a File
To download a file to your terminal, choose the item
"Download a File" from the Software Library menu. You
will be prompted for either the number (every file has a
unique reference number) or name of the file. After
that, GEnie will display information about the file and
then ask you to turn on your terminal ' s capture file,
and press "D" when ready to download. An example is on
the next page.
6-30
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Enter number, or name of file?2
*********
Number: 2 Name: HANGMAN4 . HQX
Address: EVERLY
Approximate # of Bytes: 5060
Number of Accesses: 14 Library: 3
*********
Description:
This is a Mac version of the classic Hangman
game . It is Shareware.
Keywords: Game, Hangman, Words
File: HANGMAN4 . HQX
XMODEM File ready.
Press <RETURN> to skip, <D>ownload , <L> is t , or
<Q>uit .
At this point, you can Skip to the next software file in
the Library, List the file, Quit and return to the
Libraries menu or press the "D" and start the download.
If you press "D", you will get a message telling you how
many XMODEM blocks are in the file and when to start
your receive file. For example:
34 XMODEM Blocks in file.
File is ready. Start your receive file.
Activate your computer's XMODEM function and the file
will download.
6-31
6. ROUNDTABLES: USER GROUPS AND CLUBS
Please note however, that there are some communication
software packages that do not support XMODEM. If a file
is a seven bit text file, you can only download it as
text (there is no XMODEM download of 7 bit text files).
Also, the prompts for downloading a 7 bit ASCII file are
slightly different than the ones shown for the XMODEM
transfer .
When the file is finished downloading, you will see the
message :
Download Complete
Deleting a File You Own
To delete a file you placed in one of the Software
Libraries, select the item "Delete a File You Own". You
will be prompted for the necessary information.
However, you must have put the file in the Library, or
you will not be able to delete it.
OLD CLUB BULLETINS
Okay. We are finished with Libraries and are back at
the main RoundTable menu again. The "Old Club
Bulletins" item will display the previous notices and
announcements that the Club Leader has posted. These
are the announcements you see when you choose a
RoundTable. They may announce meetings, new software,
added features, etc. They are kept in the Old Club
Bulletins section for your reference.
6-32
SHOP N’ SWAP
If you have something you want to sell, or are looking
for something to buy, this is the place for you. In
this area of GEnie, there will be a variety of
opportunites to electronically shop from the convenience
of your home.
7-1
Section 7. SHOP N' SWAP SHOPPING SERVICES
For example, the GEnie Classified Ads is a. place where
you can post items for sale or shop for items of
interest. The "merchandise" areas include:
1. Boats, Marine Equipment
2. Recreational Vehicles
3. Motorcycles, Mopeds
4. Aviation
5. Announcements & Notices
6. Personal & Business Services
7. GEnie Personals
8 « Recreation & Leisure
9. Home Repairs & Services
10. Pets & Animals
11. General Merchandise
12. Computers
13. Recruitment
14. Residential Rentals
15. Real Estate
16. Business Sc Business Real Estate
17. Financial
18 . Transportation
The Shop & Swap area also GEnie Product Ordering, as.
well as other shopping opportunities. More electronic
shopping areas will be coming soon.
7-2
GEnie GAME ROOM
Ready to test your skills and challenge your mind? The
Game Room offers a variety of games to try. New games
will be added, so check here often. The rules for all
GEnie games are on the computer.
GAMES ROUNDTABLE
A feature of the Game Room is a Games RoundTable. This
has all the features described in the RoundTables
section earlier in this guide. On the next page is a
sample of the menu:
8-1
Section 8. GEnie GAME ROOM
GEnie
Page 805
Games Roundtable
Library: ALL Libraries
1. Games Bulletin Board
2. Gamers Real-Time Conference
3. Gamers Libraries
k. Old Club Bulletins
5. Set Bulletin Board Category
6. Set Library
7. Save Current Category & Library
Enter #, <P>revious , or <H>elp?
The RoundTable offers you a Bulletin Board to discuss
questions, technique, strategy, and issues of relevance
to serious (and not so serious) gamers.
There is even and Software Library dedicated solely to
games and gaming software.
Have fun!!
8-2
INDEX
n-n
6-1 1
*ACC
2-8
*ATO
2-8
*B
2-8
*CC
2-8
*CHA
2-9
*CHAV
2-10
*CHAVC
2-10
*D
2-10
*H
2-1 1
*1
2-1 1
*L
2-1 1
*LOC
2-12
*R
2-13
*S
2 — 13.
6-21
, 6-19,
*SUB
2-13
*W
2-13
*x
2-13
/BML
5-13
/BYE
4-6,
5-5
/CALL
4-6,
5-5
/CHANNEL
4-7
/DONTDISTURB
5-14
/ECHO
4-7 ,
5-5
/EXIT
4-7,
5-6
/HANDLE
4-7
/HELP
4-8,
5-6
/HEM
5-14
/KILL
5-15
/KNOCK
5-6
/LISTEN
5-14
/LOCK
5-15
/MAIL
5-16
/MONITER
4-8,
5-6
/NOTICE
5-16
/PRIVATE
4- 9,
5- 8
5-7 to
/QUIT
4-10,
5-8
/RAISE-HAND
5-9
/ROLL
5-9
/ROM
5-17
/ROOM
5-10
/SCRAMBLE
4-10
/SEND
5-17
/SHOW
4-1 1 ,
5-10
/SQUELCH
4-1 1 ,
5-1 1
/STATUS
4-1 1 ,
5-11
/STENO
5-17
/TIME
4-12,
5-12
I-
/USERS
4-12, 5-12
/WHO
4-12, 5-12
/XDONTDISTURB
5-18
/XECHO
4-13, 5-12
/XLISTEN
5-18
/XLOCK
5-18
/XMONITOR
4-13, 5-12
/XPRIVATE
4-13, 5-12
/XSCRAMBLE
4-12, 5-12
/XSQUELCH
4-13, 5-12
/XSTENO
5-18
ACCEPT
2-15
accesses
6-25
address
6-25
ALL
6-11
ASCII file
6-27
attendee commands
5-4 to 5-12
ATTENDEES
6-6
AUTHOR
6-12
avai lability
1-2
bantering boards
4-13
billing info
1-20
billing inquiries
1-20
BROWSE
6-6
browse files
6-26
browse new items
6-16
Bulletin Board
6-4 to 6-21
bulletin board
commands
6-6 to 6-21
bulletin board
prompt
6-5
BYE
1-10, 6-7
bytes
6-25
cal ling on CB
4-6
CANCEL
2-20, 6-7
carbon copy
2-6
categories
6-4
CATEGORIES
6-7
CB commands
4-6 to 4-13
CB handles
4-3
CB menu
4-2
changing channels
4-7
changing handles
4-7
changing info
1-17
changing mail
2-7 to 2-13
changing rooms
5-10
changing words
2-9
channel s
4-4
INDEX
checking categories
6-15
checking info
1-17
checking mail
2-2, 2-3
checking new items
6-16
choosing channel
4-4
choosing handles
4-3
choosing rooms
5-3
classifieds
7-1
club bulletins
6-32
COMMAND
1-10
communi cat i on
settings
1-4
conducting a
meeting
5-19 to 5-21
connecting to GEnie
1-5
CONTROL Q
1-17
CONTROL R
1-4, 1-5
CONTROL S
1-17
cost
1-2
customer assistance
1-4, 1-19
DATE
6-12
DELETE
6-8
delete a message
6-8
delete CB text
4-5
del ete mai 1
2-20
deleting a file
6-32
deleting text
2-10
desc
6-25
DESCRIBE
6-8
dice
5-9
directory of files
6-24
DISPLAY
2-18
downloading a file
6-27, 6-30
games
8-1
games RoundTable
8-1
GE Mail
command mode
2-15
GE Mail menu
2-4
getting help
1-18 to 1-19
half duplex
1-4
handles
4-3
HELP
1-11
holding file
2-5
host echo
1-4
IGNORE
6-8
IGNORE ALL
6-9
INDEX
1-11, 6-9
inserting text
2-1 1
i tern
2-4
job numbers
4-3
JOINALL
6-9
joining GEnie
1-3
joining meetings
5-1
key words
1-7
LAST
6-1 1
leaving CB
4-7
leaving RTC
5-6
lib
6-25
1 i brari es
6-22
LIST
2-16 to 2-18
LiveWire menu
4-2
local echo
1-4
LOCATE
1-14
locating text
2-12
editing mail
2-7 to
electronic mail
2-1
ENTER
2-15
enter a message
6-19
enter a topic
6-20
EXIT
2-16
EYS
7-2
FEEDBACK
1-1 1
feedback
2-21
file name
6-24
fixing mail errors
2-7 to
free software
6-21
from
2-4
magaz i nes
3-1
main menu
1-6 to 1-7
main menu items
1-8
meeting commands
5-4 to 5-12
meeting leader
commands
5-13 to 5-18
menu commands
1-9 to 1-17
mnemonics
1-7, 1-12
modem
1-2
MOVE
1-14, 6-9
NAME
6-9
NEW
6-9, 6-1 1 ,
news
6-16
3-1
no .
6-24
N0N0TIFY
1-15
1-2
INDEX
NOTEXT
6-1 1
NOTIFY
1-15
NOTIFY *
1-15
page numbers
1-6
pari ty
1-4
password
1-2
pausing text
1-17
PORT
1-16
PREVIOUS
1-16
private talk
4-9, 5-7
prompt
6-5
PROMPT
6-9
PROMPT BRIEF
6-6
PROMPT FULL
6-6
PROMPT NONE
6-6
queue
2-3
queue list
2-2
QUIT
6-9
rates
1-2
READ
1-16, 2-5,
6-10
reading mail
2-4 to 2-5
Real Time
Conference
5-1
REPLY
6-12, 6-17,
6-19
RESTORE
6-13
RTC
5-1, 6-21
SCAN
2-18
SCRAMBLE
5-10
scrambling talk
4-10
SCROLL
6-13
SEARCH
6-13
search file
di rectory
6-25
searching for
addresses
2-14
sel 1 i ng
7-1
SEND
1-16
sending a letter
2-13
sending mail
2-6 to 2-7
sending messages
1-15
sent
2-4
SET
6-14
shopping
7-1
software libraries
6-21 to 6-32
software
1 i brary menu
6-22
START
6-14, 6-17,
6-20
STOP
6-14
Stop bit
1-4
stopping text
1-17
subject
2-4, 2-6
TBATCH
2-19
TIME
1-15
to
2-4, 2-6
top menu
1-6 to 1-7
topics
6-4 to 6-5
TOPICS
6-14
type
6-24
uploading a file
6-28 to 6-30
uploading a letter
2-14, 2-15
user id
1-2
USERS
1-16
VERSION
6-14
who's on
1-16
who's on CB
4-11
who's on RTC
5-1 1
XMODEM
6-27, 6-31
yymmdd
6-25
1-3
INFORMATION
SERVICES
General Electric Information Services Company
1376.01-1C (8M) 8715
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Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American
Libraries
TV News
Understanding
9/11